Celtic could sign "terrific" star who's even more exciting than Tierney
da brwin： Celtic have the chance to win the domestic treble for the second time in three seasons when they travel to Hampden Park to take on Aberdeen in the final of the SFA Cup this weekend.
da apostebet： The Hoops have already won the Scottish Premiership title and won the League Cup, beating Rangers on penalties, in the first half of the campaign, which means that a win on Saturday would clinch the treble.
Brendan Rodgers is seemingly not satisfied with that, though, as the Scottish giants are already eyeing up players to come in and bolster the squad in the upcoming summer transfer window.
Motherwell central midfielder Lennon Miller has been linked with a cross-Scotland switch to Glasgow, whilst Peterborough star Kwame Poku was recently linked with a move to the club.
The Scottish giants have, however, already wrapped up one signing before the summer transfer window even opens for business, as Kieran Tierney will be joining the club on a free transfer at the end of June.
Why Kieran Tierney is an exciting signing for Celtic
The Scotland international’s contract with Arsenal is due to expire this summer, and it has already been confirmed that the defender will be returning to Parkhead for a second spell in Glasgow.
This is an exciting signing for the Hoops for multiple reasons, not least because of the emotional backdrop to it. Tierney came up through the academy system and made his breakthrough in the first-team before starring for many years.
As you can see in the graphic above, the defender made 170 appearances for the club before his £25m move to Arsenal in the summer of 2019, and won five Scottish Premiership titles in that time.
He came up through the academy as a Celtic boy and achieved great success with the team, which is why his return could be an emotional one for him and the supporters heading into next season.
It could also be an exciting signing because of the quality that Tierney can provide from a left-back position, as shown in the impressive highlights package above.
The flying full-back scored eight goals and provided 37 assists during his first spell at the club, which shows that he is a defender who likes to burst forward to make an impact at the top end of the pitch.
This means that he could provide Rodgers with another attacking outlet down the left side, due to his ability to score and create goals from a left-back role, to support the winger ahead of him.
However, it is also worth pointing out that the 27-year-old is due to return to Celtic with a concerning injury history that suggests that he could miss a lot of matches for the Hoops.
Kieran Tierney’s injury history
Season
Injuries
Days missed
Games missed
24/25
1
160
18
23/24
3
103
21
22/23
0
0
0
21/22
2
116
17
20/21
4
87
19
19/20
1
97
19
18/19
5
140
27
17/18
1
23
5
16/17
1
86
16
Stats via Transfermarkt
As you can see in the table above, Tierney has been absent for at least 16 games in seven of the last nine seasons of his career for Arsenal, Real Sociedad, and Celtic combined.
This means that there may also be a degree of concern over the move, as his injury history suggests that the defender may not be a consistent performer, due to a lack of availability, for Rodgers.
With this in mind, Celtic could land an even more exciting signing than Tierney by swooping for Blackburn Rovers attacker Tyrhys Dolan on a free transfer, having been linked with an interest in the English forward.
Why Dolan would be more exciting than Tierney for Celtic
Whilst the Championship winger would not arrive at Parkhead with the same emotional connection with the supporters that Tierney has, Dolan could be a more exciting signing for Rodgers and the Hoops for footballing reasons.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
Firstly, at the age of 23, the English star would be more of a long-term signing for the Hoops because he is four years younger than the Scottish dynamo. This means that he could be a part of Rodgers’ team for many, many, more years to come, making him an exciting signing for the future, as well as the present.
Dolan would also arrive as a durable and dependable performer from a physical perspective, as he has not had any notable injuries that have kept him out for significant periods, unlike Tierney.
This suggests that the Blackburn star, described as “absolutely terrific” by journalist Elliott Jackson, would be far more likely to be available week-in-week-out during the season, which is backed up by his statistics for the English side in the 2024/25 campaign.
24/25 Championship
Tyrhys Dolan
Appearances
44
Touches per game
38.1
Goals
7
Conversion rate
14%
Big chances created
7
Key passes
44
Assists
6
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, Dolan featured in 44 of their 46 league matches in the Championship, and contributed with 14 goals and ‘big chances’ created combined.
Whilst that return in front of goal may not be hugely exciting on paper, it is worth taking into account that Blackburn averaged 49.1% possession per game and only racked up 51.7 xG in 46 matches, the 16th lowest amount in the division.
This means that Dolan has not been playing in a dominant, successful, and attacking side with Blackburn, which is why his personal numbers are not particularly amazing.
Now, the thought of a player who can score seven goals and create seven ‘big chances’ in a defensive Blackburn team playing in a dominant, front-footed, Rodgers-coached Celtic side is an exciting thought, as he would have far more opportunities to showcase his ability at the top end of the pitch.
This is another reason why the 23-year-old star could be an even more exciting signing than Tierney for Celtic, because of the untapped potential that the Northern Irish boss could get out of the winger.
Dolan would arrive as a young talent with huge potential and an encouraging injury record, rather than an experienced head with a concerning availability record, and it is now down to the club to strike a deal for his services.
Related Worse than Scales: Rodgers must axe Celtic flop for the cup final
Rodgers must drop this Celtic flop who was even worse than Liam Scales.