Brendan Rodgers is refusing to give up hope of having Kieran Tierney and Greg Taylor “dovetailing” as Celtic’s left-backs next season.
The Hoops have already agreed a pre-contract to bring Scotland international Tierney back to Glasgow when his deal at Arsenal expires this summer.
Taylor is out of contract at the end of this season, and Rodgers is eager to keep him to share a heavy domestic and European fixture-load with Tierney next term.
The former Kilmarnock left-back has been offered a new deal but it is unclear whether the salary on offer will convince him to extend his six-year stay at Celtic Park or whether he will be satisfied with playing second fiddle to fellow 27-year-old Tierney.
Rodgers said there was “nothing concrete” to report but that he would “never give up hope” of retaining Taylor.
“Greg’s game is perfect for how we work and how we play, which is why I want to keep him so much,” said the manager.
“He knows how we all feel about him here. It’s a big decision at 27. If you’re going to commit, you’re committing for four or five years. So you’re pretty much saying this is your big contract here for the next four or five years.
“He’s absolutely every right to just take his time and try and get his value met, so I totally understand that.
“I think the big thing for Greg is playing. Obviously, we’ve got Kieran coming back in but it’s still a squad and it’s still a season, especially now where it has felt such a long season, there’s no breaks or anything like that. So I think that even more so, you need a really, really good squad.”
Taylor has become renowned for playing the inverted full-back role, but Rodgers explained he will not demand that Tierney – who has been playing in a more advanced position at Arsenal recently – plays the same way when he arrives, pointing out that they have “different strengths and qualities”.
“No, no, Kieran plays his role,” said Rodgers. “It’s a different type of player. He can do that, of course. He can jump on the inside and be outside. I was in contact with him in the week and I’m saying our wingers are very scared now because he’s playing on the left side, he’s playing on the right side!
“When you’re trying to build a squad, you’re trying to have different strengths within it. Kieran has his qualities of pace and power and runability. He has a passion for the club and he obviously can’t wait to be here. But we also need a squad of players. For me, it can dovetail perfectly with someone like Greg here. But we have to wait and see.”
Rodgers was delighted to see Tierney get on as a late sub in both legs of Arsenal’s stunning Champions League quarter-final win over Real Madrid.
“I think when he comes back, irrelevant of experiences, we will improve as a squad by having him here,” he said.
“I’m just really pleased for him. Obviously, seeing Arsenal, it was a fantastic performance over the two legs and to see him be involved in that is obviously a great experience for him.
“This last couple of months will be a really exciting couple of months for him, but I know what we’re getting. We’ll get back a player with great experience. When you work in the Premier League, every single week it’s like a big European game. It’s so challenging, so testing. He’s had a number of years of that, but we’re getting him back at a brilliant age.”
