What a rollercoaster of emotions Celtic fans have been on this week.
A dramatic victory over Young Boys secured their return to the Champions League knockout stages for the first time since 2012 but within a few hours, reality bit as cult hero Kyogo Furuhashi’s £10m transfer to Ligue 1 strugglers Stade Rennais was all but confirmed.
Photos of the Japanese international landing in France emerged with Rennes manager Jorge Sampaoli saying he hopes to see the player in action as soon as the weekend with Monaco awaiting.
As the age old adage goes, every cloud has a silver lining.
So it seems to be the case that this cloud has not one but two with the news that Rennes’ Jota and Arsenal’s Kieran Tierney will be making a return to Celtic Park and kick stagnating careers back into gear.
With a return delayed by Storm Éowyn, the winger could be lining up for Rodgers by next week as part of a swap deal for Kyogo.
Having left Glasgow for Saudi Arabia at just 23 years old, Jota’s move was lambasted by football purists. However the Portuguese youth international managed just one underwhelming year before he made his way to France where he has similarly failed to build on the promise that made him such a coveted player in the Scottish Premiership.
The prodigal son returns
In another bit of positive news, Kieran Tierney looks set to move back to boyhood club Celtic before the window closes.
With the paperwork undergoing its final stages, the only question is whether the move is loan with a obligation to buy in the summer or an outright purchase in January.
Tierney is said to have rejected moves to Bayer Leverkusen, Juventus and Seville to secure a return home in the hopes of putting a difficult few seasons behind him.
Injuries have blighted his attempts to cement his place in Mikel Arterta’s plans, limiting the left-back to just five appearances all season.
In Brendan Rodgers however, Tierney has a huge fan who will move heaven and earth to strengthen his side ahead of a season defining European adventure.
The sooner this move is announced, the sooner both Celtic and Scotland fans can breathe a huge sigh of relief.
