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The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
National
Ryan McGinlay

The 'difficult' transfer homecoming that prompted ex-Celtic defender to depart

(Image: Andrew Milligan/PA Wire)

Former Celtic player Greg Taylor says Kieran Tierney's return influenced his decision to leave.

The defender left Parkhead in July 2025 after a successful six-year stint. He joined Greek club PAOK on a free transfer.

During his time at Celtic, the 28-year-old made 216 appearances, scored nine goals, and helped the club win 11 trophies. Speaking on Charlie Mulgrew's Pitch to Par YouTube series, Taylor explained the reasons behind his exit.

He said, "I think there were probably talks throughout. I think in the ideal scenario, if you knew you were probably going to be as much of a mainstay as you’d been before.

"That was my big thing, I was desperate to still be a main voice, a main player."

Taylor said that the arrival of Tierney, who returned to reclaim the left-back position, meant he would most likely get less playing time.


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This played an important role in his decision to leave. He continued, "I felt like that’s what I’d been, and I’d done that, and I’d obviously known Kieran was coming back, which made that a wee bit more difficult.

"So, just with that, I just felt that it was maybe the time to try something different.

"I was at an age that, if I didn’t move on, I was never going to."

Despite the circumstances of his departure, Taylor only has good memories of his time with the club. He said, "It was amazing, I loved it.

"What an amazing six, seven years of my life and such an amazing moment in Celtic.

"I was excited to see what else was going to happen, and it ended up being Greece."

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