Celtic defender Kristoffer Ajer is desperate to see his teammate Kieran Tierney wade off every interested club to keep the treble-winning side in one piece going forward, stating, “We want him to stay”.
The news is going around that Everton is preparing to make an offer worth £25 million for the defender who has been impressive since his arrival at the club, despite the fact that he only just committed to a new deal to keep him at the club until 2023 last October.
But his Norwegian teammate is keen to see the squad remain together and is clearly aware of how integral Tierney is to their success.
As quoted in The Daily Record, the defender said: “He’s a massive Celtic fan so it’s really nice to see. He knows a lot about the club and its history. It’s just nice to see such a big fan playing for the team.
“When you play for Celtic, do well and have won the Treble twice, there is always going to be interest in you.
“KT has been tremendous for us and has proved himself over a number of seasons. We’re desperate for this group to stay together. He’s an important player in the squad and we want him to stay.”
Tierney is a Celtic loyal, adored by everyone at Parkhead and he shares that admiration after rising through the ranks at the Scottish club as a youngster. The absence of the 21-year-old in the team will breed a massive disconnection between the players and supporters as they have a huge affinity with the defender they have seen grow up at the club.
His connection with the fans is not the only thing that makes him special – his ability on the pitch should not be underrated simply because he plies his trade in the Scottish Premiership. The experience he has garnered in the Champions League and in his national team are some of the reasons he is wanted by many.
His electrical runs down the left have become a huge outlet and feature of their style of play and without them, the Hoops would be missing a leg. Ajer is right, Celtic must ensure the defender does not leave.