Kieran Tierney to Celtic transfer return hype has Callum McGregor buzzing as skipper admits ‘I’ve been in WAR with him’
Callum McGregor reckons warrior Kieran Tierney would be a quality signing for Celtic as he backed Brendan Rodgers’ push for January reinforcements.
The Hoops boss is considering a January loan move to take the Arsenal star back to Parkhead with a view to a permanent deal in the summer. And McGregor, who spent years as team mates with Tierney for both Celtic and the Scotland national team, knows he’s exactly the type of character required when the going gets tough.
The 27-year-old left Celtic for the Gunners in a then-record £25m deal back in 2019. But Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has opted against handing the left back a new deal, opening the door for a Hoops move with Greg Taylor’s contract also up at the end of the season. McGregor said: “I’ve not spoken to Kieran yet but I have seen all the stuff that’s been written. I don't know too much about it - but we're generally the last ones to know.
READ MORE: Kyogo is Atlanta Utd transfer target as Celtic braced for '£10million bid' from MLS
"When someone appears in the building, then we'll go and meet them. He's a quality player. I've been in war with him for a number of years now. He's a good guy and we'll see what happens.”
Rodgers travelled to Dublin for a transfer summit with Celtic majority shareholder Dermot Desmond last week as he looks to get ahead of the game. The champions may be nine points clear at the top of the table and looking good for a Champions League last 16 play-off spot but there’s no chance Rodgers will rest on his laurels.
McGregor said: “In every window we do look to strengthen. The boys here have been fantastic, they have done ever so well. Naturally, being at a big club, there's always competition for places. The club will always try and do the best deals that they can.
“It just remains to be seen what happens but the guys who do come in, we'll get them up to speed as quickly as possible. When you're at a big club, the demands are so high. You always have to be at the maximum level and pushing yourself, the squad and everybody. It's a great environment to work in and the players really enjoy it.
“Like I said, come January we might have a few new faces in and that'll push the group even further and the squad will get stronger. We'll see what happens, but it's always good to have new faces to push everyone as well.”
Celtic dropped points for only the second time this season in Sunday’s 0-0 draw at Dundee United. Next up is a home clash against Motherwell on Boxing Day before St Johnstone visit on Sunday. Then comes the big one with a trip to Ibrox for the second Old Firm league clash of the season on January 2.
It’s a hectic spell. But while McGregor would love a break he has no doubt his team mates can handle the pressure. He said: “A wee break would be nice for the players to freshen up as there's so much football. But ultimately, I don't know if it matters what noise that we make. We get paid to play football and the guys make the schedule and we just have to deal with it as best we can.”
Sunday’s clean sheet was a 13th in 16 league games this season. Stephen Welsh made only his second appearance of the season against United on Sunday and partnered Liam Scales in a makeshift backline.
And McGregor said: “You know you've got these guys that can come in and play at a level, even though they've not played so much football. That is a testament to how strong the squad actually is. We just keep pushing and we keep fighting. It's a difficult period with the games and everything else, but we'll just keep going.”
