Celtic find themselves in an odd spot right now when it comes to their left-back situation. The club were able to bring back Kieran Tierney as a free agent, with his contract at Arsenal running out this summer and the Premier League giants passing up on the chance to extend it by another year. But other than that, there is little to no depth in that position.
Options at left-back will be even more important moving forward, as Tierney has a long injury history. Celtic cannot afford to overlook it.
But with Greg Taylor and Jeffrey Schlupp both leaving this summer, they have been left without a reliable cover option for Tierney. That is a signing the Hoops will need to make at some point this summer.
One of the players they had been linked with is James Penrice. While he has indeed left Hearts this summer, his destination is not Glasgow. It is Greece instead.
AEK Athens make announcement in bad news for Celtic
AEK Athens have officially announced the arrival of Penrice. The length of the deal was not confirmed in the announcement.
Welcome to AEK, James Penrice 🤩🟡⚫️#aekfc #summertransfers #Penrice pic.twitter.com/nDvayxAvic
— AEK F.C. (@AEK_FC_OFFICIAL) July 5, 2025
Somebody like Penrice could have been a solid backup option to Tierney. But just like Taylor, he has ended up in the Greek league. As for Celtic, they still need to solve their problem at left-back.
Of course, Celtic will surely have other left-backs on their radar as potential alternatives. Let's just hope that they are successful in signing one of them as soon as possible.
Celtic have been very active this summer when it comes to making signings. That being said, when it comes to players who will come in and make an immediate impact on the first-team, there are question marks. Left-back remains an area of need, but hopefully, won't be for much longer.