There is little denying that boyhood Celtic fan turned star is one of Scotland’s best players over the past decade. His ability is unquestioned and has only kicked up a notch with the arrival of Brendan Rodgers at Paradise.
Many have speculated that Tierney’s future is outside of Scottish football and the club that he loved growing up. Those folks may be right, especially if Tierney has ambitions to be rich and famous.
However, let us all remember that he is only 19 years old, and theoretically his best football is ahead of him. Yet, the transfer rumors have begun circling in earnest — with plenty of English Premier League clubs linked to a move for him and even Bayern Munich showing interest.
But, should it be a foregone conclusion that Tierney’s days at Celtic Park are drawing to a close? Perhaps it could be that Tierney is a happy young man and sees a future with the club beyond this year.
He was seen in the stands during his injury spell, and seemed to throughly enjoy himself amongst the people he used to cheer on Celtic with. That much he admitted to, according to The Daily Mail.
You see, Tierney was keen to take in games with his Celtic-loving mates, even going on road trips to away matches and taking in things from the stands at Paradise.
"“I grew up a Celtic fan and everyone knows that, but even when I was out injured I wanted to take it in from the stands to see what it felt like for them and see how special it was,” he told the Celtic View.“It was good to go back to the game with my mates. Nothing changed for them as they go to every game anyway and I just tagged along as we did when we were younger. It did bring back memories of when I was 14 or 15 and I enjoyed it while I could.”"
Tierney wasn’t just happy to take in the matches with his boyhood mates. You see, it was all about staying connected to the club while he was out injured for nearly three months.
The 19-year-old went on to explain that his passion and love for the club he grew up supporting only increased thanks to his time in the stands.
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As Tierney said to the Daily Mail:
“I loved that time. I was injured, but I wanted to make a positive out of it, going back as a fan and back to reality.
“It’s great being a supporter, especially when you’re winning every game, but it does make you realise how much you want to play for Celtic. It just makes that feeling even stronger.”
It certainly seems as if his passion for Celtic isn’t dying and that can be a really powerful thing. That is especially so when you can basically guarantee a real shot at Champions League football on an annual basis.
Let’s be real here, It isn’t as if anyone in Scotland is challenging Celtic for the title anytime soon.
With a first-class manager, money to be able to keep top talent in the fold and ambitions to become fixtures in the Champions League, it could be that Tierney’s time isn’t up at Parkhead just yet — despite what conventional wisdom may say.
Instead, he could be the lynchpin of success in the year or two to come before finally moving on. There’s no doubt that money will eventually talk — for the club and the player. But, there doesn’t seem to be a rush to move on from either side just yet.
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Will money do the talking this offseason or will Tierney’s love for club allow Rodgers and Co. to hang on to him a bit longer?
Time will tell, but it seems as if betting on him being gone this offseason may be a bit more shaky than we first thought.