KIERAN TIERNEY joined Simon Ferry and Paul Slane for an interview with OpenGoal Sport and revealed the personal torment he felt leaving the club last summer.
It was a shock to many when Kieran left the club for Arsenal for a record-breaking fee. Celtic fans widely believed Kieran would stay for the ten in a row tilt before heading off down south. As it transpired, Kieran got the opportunity much earlier and couldn’t turn down the life-changing opportunity.
After a shaky start, the left-back has gone from strength to strength and already has an FA Cup winners medal.
Speaking about leaving Celtic, the defender was shocked by some of the things on social media, signing on as the deal went through to see the reactions.
“Weeks before when Arsenal had bid people were like that ‘you’re a rat if you go, you’re terrible, you’re never a Celtic fan.” Tierney told OpenGoal.
“I’m like ‘this is breaking my heart reading this’ and as soon as this gets announced it’s going to blow up.
“And the worst thing I did when it got announced was go on Twitter. [There were] thousands of tweets, threats and all sorts.
“When I went home two days later after signing, there was spray paint on the walls, ‘Judas’ outside my bit.”
“Me and Tom Rogic were injured and he was asking if it was happening and I said ‘don’t think so mate’.
“And honestly I was looking at flats round about my area because I was thinking about moving out and I’d went with my mum and my mate to go see this place and that place. This was the day before, a couple of days before.
“And I told everybody ‘this is off, it’s not happening.’ Then I got the call to say ‘Celtic have said you can go, they’ve got what they want for you.
“And that’s when I was down at the park. It was mental, it’s a blur.
“I was on the flight near enough greeting to my agent like ‘what’s happening here? I’m getting it stinking. This is going to be my family’s life forever, me known as what these people are making me out to be.’
“They don’t know half of it, they just assume everything and they don’t know.”
Kieran has not been back to Celtic Park since he left. Asked if he would return, he replied “No, I’m scared!”
It would be a sad state of affairs if Celtic manage to get ten in a row and Kieran can’t come back to celebrate the achievement.
There’s no doubt Kieran Tierney is still a massive Celtic fan and isn’t paying us lip service. We hope he does come back to watch his boyhood club again.
