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Celtic have ‘no right’ to seal Kieran Tierney transfer return”- Stephen McGinn argued that Celtic has “no right” to secure a return for Kieran Tierney, while also challenging Brendan Rodgers’ recent criticism of the club’s fans for chanting the former player’s name during the 3-0 victory over St Mirren.
Stephen McGinn has expressed surprise that top English Premier League clubs are not willing to take a chance on Kieran Tierney, particularly with Celtic’s efforts to bring him back to his boyhood club. With only six months remaining on his contract at Arsenal, the Scotland international is set to leave the North London club this month after making just one appearance for Mikel Arteta’s side in the first half of the season, despite recovering from a hamstring injury sustained at Euro 2024. Brendan Rodgers and Celtic are working hard to secure a return for the 27-year-old this month, with a loan deal looking the most likely option.
However, former SPFL midfielder McGinn is baffled by the lack of interest in the full-back and believes Celtic would only approve a January move for Tierney if it makes financial sense. Speaking on Go Radio, he commented: “Celtic don’t have any real right to sign him in today’s game. Every top club wants two players for each position. Kieran Tierney has been available for a lot of games in recent years. Do you honestly think Manchester United wouldn’t be interested in him and wouldn’t pay more for him, even if it’s just to be a squad player?”
He continued, “Celtic won’t do anything too risky financially, especially for the left-back position. They’ve just made a profit on Alexandro Bernabei, so behind the scenes, that could offset the cost of the loan fee for Tierney.”
Rodgers has criticized some sections of the Celtic support for chanting Tierney’s name during the 3-0 win over St Mirren on Sunday, calling it disrespectful to current left-back Greg Taylor, who is also a target for Croatian club Dinamo Zagreb with six months remaining on his contract. But McGinn doesn’t view it this way, saying: “Celtic would be getting Kieran Tierney for his love of the club and his desire to return. He has a special connection with the section of the crowd who were singing his name. They completely bought into him, and he bought into them, so it was more about excitement from that section thinking he’s coming back. I didn’t really associate it with Greg Taylor.”
Meanwhile, former Celtic player John Hartson has voiced concerns over Greg Taylor’s ability to perform at the top level and has questioned why the club isn’t considering the option of signing Barcelona loanee Alex Valle on a permanent deal. He said: “When it comes to the Champions League and big games, I think Taylor sometimes falls short. He’s played a lot of games in the Scottish Premiership, to be fair, but I think Celtic will want a better version of him. If they’re letting his contract run down or looking to sell him, then they have Alex Valle, but he would obviously come at a cost to bring over from Barcelona.”
