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Daily Record
13-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
Brendan Rodgers reveals the financial sacrifice Kieran Tierney made to seal return to Celtic
More than six years after his final game away to Aberdeen, Tierney made his second debut in Lisbon. It's like he has never been away. That was Brendan Rodgers ' verdict as Kieran Tierney pulled back on the Hoops. More than six years after his final game away to Aberdeen, Tierney made his second debut in Lisbon. The defender slotted into a makeshift backline which featured Auston Trusty plus youngsters Colby Donovan and Ben McPherson in a 3-2 closed-doors defeat to Estrela da Amadora. It was only a 45-minute cameo for the returning hero but Rodgers revealed that was always the plan as the club's international stars returned to action. He said: 'Yeah, 45. The likes of those other guys as well. It's the first minutes of pre-season so really good to get them on the field. 'It was like Kieran had never been away really. So we know his strengths, we know his qualities and we know he's going to be a big plus. 'I think those guys who came in are a week or so behind physically. 'In that space, you're maybe 10 sessions short of the other players. But that will come, that will take time. 'But you can see from the 45 that he's still in a good place and building fitness which is what pre-season is all about.' It's believed Tierney turned down lucrative offers from Europe's elite – including Juventus, Bayer Leverkusen and Sevilla – to seal an emotional return to his boyhood club. Rodgers said: 'In isolation, Kieran coming back is brilliant for the team. 'Make no doubt about it, Kieran has sacrificed to come back here in a financial way because he really wanted to come back. 'But to have that player of the quality and experience that he has now, it's going to be really big for us. 'We want to make strides in European football so to bring that level of playerin will certainly help us to do that. 'I think it tells you everything about what he missed and that feeling that he missed when he left. 'I know the clubs involved because I was part of the process in bringing him back so I know where he could have gone. 'But this always felt the right place for him when we spoke months ago. I'm really happy for him. 'He's not even at his peak age yet, he's still got a lot of years left in him and hopefully we'll have them here at Celtic which I know he's really excited about.' Rodgers has always had a close relationship with the left-back, stretching back to his all-conquering first spell at Parkhead. After rubber-stamping a five-year deal to re-sign the £25million star on a free transfer, Rodgers kept in regular contact as Tierney wound down his career at Arsenal last term. The pair even met last month in Majorca for acoffee. Rodgers revealed: 'I've been in contact with him throughout the months. 'When I knew he was going out there for a few days before meeting up with Scotland, we arranged to meet up. 'I tend to do that. I met with Callum (McGregor) as well. It's nice to reassure him. 'I know what that feeling's like having been somewhere and coming back and the wonder of what it might be like and feel like. 'But it's not really until you're back here that you really sense it. That's probably what it's like for him. It's probably a little bit strange initially but once he gets to Celtic Park, he will feel really at home again.' While Tierney's blockbuster homecoming is a statement of intent from Celtic, Rodgers knows he'll have to manage the 28-year-old's minutes carefully. The Scotland star has endured an injury-plagued few seasons and Rodgers made it clear he won't be relied upon every week as Celts seek a deputy left-back before the transfer window shuts. He added: 'There are certain players that will break. We had to look at that because it has to be more than the emotional side. 'The last few years, he's been unfortunate as well with some of the injuries he has picked up. 'We feel with the management, with him and with how we work, we can keep him fit for as long as we possibly can. 'He doesn't need to be available for every single game. To have a successful season, we need to have a really good squad that we can rotate and that includes him. 'It's just great to have him back. He's on his way through the gears and we know a fully-fit Kieran is a massive boost.'
The National
12-07-2025
- Sport
- The National
Brendan Rodgers outlines immediate Celtic transfer priority
The Celtic boss cited the departure of Kyogo Furuhashi and Nicolas Kuhn as he admitted there is work to be done in the summer window. Rodgers provided the transfer update after Celtic fell to a 3-2 defeat to Estrela da Amadora at Benfica's training centre on Saturday. Reo Hatate and Adam Idah were on target for Celtic, but the Portuguese side claimed a narrow victory in the bounce game. Addressing the press after the match, Rodgers conceded, "we need to improve the squad". And Rodgers insisted staff are hard at work to address the attacking issues as he confirmed work is ongoing on transfer signings this summer. Read more: As quoted by The Scottish Sun, Rodgers said: 'There's work going on behind the scenes. 'It's clear we need to improve the squad. 'There's a lot of work going on behind the scenes, there's loads of names floating about. 'We're clear that we need to improve our frontline. 'We lost Kyogo in January and another player with Nicolas gone. 'That's a lot of goals that's gone out of the team. 'So for us, we need to strengthen that area of the field. But the guys back home are working hard on that.'
Scottish Sun
12-07-2025
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Brendan Rodgers insists there were ‘really good moments' in Celtic's pre-season loss to Portuguese minnows as fans react
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) CELTIC today suffered the first loss of their pre-season preparations. Having bested Queen's Park and Cork City earlier this month, the next challenge took them to Portugal to face Estrela da Amadora, who ran out 3-2 winners. Sign up for the Celtic newsletter Sign up 2 Adam Idah and Reo Hatate scored in a 3-2 loss to Estrela da Amadora Credit: Kenny Ramsay 2 Brendan Rodgers insists there are positives to take from the game Credit: PA The victors were formed just five years ago and finished 15th in the Liga Portugal last season. But boss Brendan Rodgers has insisted it isn't a tough one to take. Speaking to CelticTV after the match, he said: "A really, really good exercise for us, we're only a couple of weeks in. "Some really good moments, some not so good. Some young players getting opportunities, some players playing their first minutes of the pre-season. "Overall, really good against a good opponent, it's another step towards where we want to get to." "We'll get sharper, guys have had a really heavy week so probably a wee bit leggy today, but it's that point of the season where you have to push and you have to get through that, it's all about building your fitness. "But the guys will always look to play our game model which is to press and to play, and we did that. "Some really good moments, a couple goals, excellent. "Then we got caught out, especially on the third goal, pressing at the wrong moments. "That's just some new young players coming in and being new to the system, exposing and leaving the space behind. Lisbon training camp latest as Hoops close in on sixth summer signing "But all that comes with the evolution and understanding of how we play." Rodgers explained how he saw the positives of the match being a chance for young players and new signings to show what they're made of. He continued: "Enjoying it all, taking it on board, the level and personality needed to play. That's the whole idea of pre-season, you get the chance to see the new players coming in. "The likes of Kieran [Tierney] playing today which is great, a good 45 minutes in. "And Benji [Nygren] and these other guys, it's their first minutes of the pre-season. "But for the younger players this is just about the experience for them, if you can really show your personality then great, but if not you're getting fit and training and playing with really good players. "We'll have a meal together this evening, which is very important socially to be able to do that. "I think when you're away in pre-season it gives you not only the chance to connect on the field, but off the field as well. "Players will have a free day tomorrow for recovery then we're back into double sessions for next week." Fans, however, have not been so quick to downplay the result. On social media, one called the optimistic comments 'deluded', while another said: "We need to strengthen ourselves with quality, it's not rocket science." One wrote: "At least it showed where defence needs to be prioritised," and another fumed: "This is side is completely starved of quality and the manager isn't as good as some think he is. "He let an average Rangers side get the better of us last year because he persisted with a midfield three, he's so one-dimensional and you can counter our formation easily by flooding [the midfield]." But a fan countered these points, saying: "Good run out. All about fitness at the moment and trying different teams and tactics. "Some work out, some don't. Guarantee neither of those 11 players who started each half will be the starting 11 next season. "No need for the meltdown all. I know the temps are high, but chill." Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
STV News
12-07-2025
- Sport
- STV News
Brendan Rodgers takes positives from Celtic's friendly defeat in Portugal
Brendan Rodgers described Celtic's 3-2 friendly defeat by Estrela da Amadora as 'another step towards where we want to get to'. Defender Kieran Tierney made his first appearance for the Hoops since his return to the club from Arsenal this summer at Benfica's training campus in Portugal, whilst Sweden winger Benjamin Nygren also got his first minutes as a Celtic player since signing from Nordsjaelland, playing the second half. Midfielder Reo Hatate and striker Adam Idah scored the goals for the Scottish champions but looking at the bigger picture, boss Rodgers told Celtic TV: 'It was a really good exercise for us. 'We're only a couple of weeks in and there were some good moments, some not so good, some young players getting opportunities, some players playing their first minutes of pre-season. It's another step towards where we want to get to. 'We'll get sharper. The guys have had a really heavy week, so they were maybe a wee bit leggy today. 'But it's that point in the season where you have to push and get through that, that's all about building your fitness. 'The guys will always look to play our game model, which is to press and to play and we did that. 'We had some really good moments, the goals were excellent. And then we got caught out, especially in the third goal, just pressing at the wrong moment. 'But all that comes with the evolution and understanding of how we play.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Scottish Sun
12-07-2025
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Kieran Tierney gets first start of second spell as Celtic's big hitters back for clash vs Estrela da Amadora in Portugal
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) KIERAN TIERNEY'S formal return as a Celtic player will come behind closed doors in Portugal. The Hoops are taking on Portuguese outfit Estrela da Amadora at the Benfica sports complex as Brendan Rodgers puts them through their paces for the season ahead. Sign up for the Celtic newsletter Sign up 3 GLASGOW, SCOTLAND – JULY 07: Kieran Tierney (C) and Mitchell Robertson during a Celtic training session at the Lennoxtown Training Centre, on July 07, 2025, in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group) Credit: SNS 3 Kieran Tierney during a Celtic training session Credit: SNS And the big news this morning is a first start of his second spell for former Arsenal ace Tierney, who was given an extra week to recover for the season ahead following international duty. He starts alongside the likes of Daizen Maeda and Reo Hatate for the clash, with Callum McGregor captaining the side. Young striker Callum Osmand gets another chance to impress as does Aussie playmaker Marco Tilio, who returns to the club after a recent loan spell. Auston Trusty and Ben McPherson play at the back while Viljami Sinisalo continues on the bench. There's the prospect of major changes in the second period with the likes of Liam Scales and Adam Idah all in line to feature. 3 The Celtic line-up against Estrela da Amadora Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
