Tierney attended a Celtic FC Foundation event in London, seen here with Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers. Photo Celtic FC
Q: Kieran Tierney is going to add to that this summer. Have you had the chance to speak to Kieran much and be able to get a flavour of how excited he is to be returning to this club?
Brendan Rodgers: “No, I know he will be. I haven’t spoken to him a lot of late. We’ve exchanged messages and stuff, but I know his love of the club and excitement to come back here. So yes, I’m sure he’s champing at the bit to get back.”
Q: Do you still feel as though there’s real growth to come in this group, and what do you want to do in the summer? You’ve had all the success so far, but do you still feel there’s another level that this team and squad can go to?
Brendan Rodgers: “I think it’s consistency. I think that we want to, I think I mentioned when I came back, we want to be a team that’s competitive in the Champions League. So firstly, we’ve got to get there in the summer. Can we build on this season? Is there another level? I think that what we have is that the players who have performed at a really high level for a lot of the season. I think what we want to try and do is sustain that level and sustain that European feeling as well. I think that’s what’s important here.
Brendan Rodgers chats to Kieran Tierney at the Celtic FC Foundation event in London on Friday 11 October 2024. Photo: Celtic FC Foundation
“So, if we can build on this year and look to develop, which I think we can do. With the squad I have, of course, if I kept everyone, then we’d only need a few changes within that to upgrade it. But of course, you never know how the summer goes. But either way, we’ll be really excited for next season to bring, take on the challenge of the league again and look to progress in Europe.”
Luke McCowan. Motherwell v Celtic, 2nd February 2025. Photo by Vagelis Georgariou
Q: With reference to the importance of having a Scottish core, how much does that influence you when you’re looking to recruit? You’ve brought in Luke McCowan, added to that nucleus that you’ve got. You’re bringing back Kieran. Is that a significant aspect of your recruitment? What Scots are out there who could improve this side? Bearing in mind how important it is to have homegrown players here.
Brendan Rodgers: “Yeah, I think it’s twofold. I think you always look from within to see if there are players within your academy who can make the step up. It’s been very difficult in recent times just because of the level that the team and the club are operating at. There is 100% a pathway for a young player here if there’s a bit of patience and a bit of development. That’s your first look. Second look, of course, is outside. I’ve loved working with the Scottish players when I’ve been up here. Come back to my first time, I had Ryan (Christie) and Stuart (Armstrong) and all the guys. They were absolutely brilliant for me. So that’s what we do. We look at homegrown players to see if there is anyone we feel who can improve our squad. Or a young player who can come in and who has the potential to be a starter here. So, yeah, it’s always something that we cover in our recruitment.”
Jeremie Frimpong of Bayer Leverkusen looks on ahead of their UEFA Europa League 2023/24 final match against Atalanta BC at Dublin Arena on May 21, 2024 (Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images)
