GREG TAYLOR insists his decision to leave Celtic this summer wasn’t a consequence of Kieran Tierney’s return to the club.
The left back is leaving Parkhead for PAOK in Greece after a trophy laden six-year stint at the club but denies he wasn’t up for the fight of trying to stave off the challenge of Scotland pal Tierney for a first team spot.
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Taylor told Sky Sports: “I would certainly not say that is fair.
“There has been competition for my place at Celtic in the whole six years I was there, and it was not something I ever shirked from.
“I loved that. It drove me on and helped me find my best level.
“So, no, I wouldn’t say it was particularly Kieran coming back, it just felt like it was the right time for me to try something different.”
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He calls the decision the “toughest of his career” – and the former Rangers academy product reckons the Hoops remain strong favourites to win the title this season, regardless of the US takeover across the city.
He said: “It’s probably the toughest decision I have had in my career.
“When I left Kilmarnock in 2019 it was that bit easier, I was progressing and I wanted to go and play for the biggest team in Scotland.
“At that time, there probably wasn’t many who believed I would play as many games as I did, but the one person who really did was myself.
“I was lucky to go and play 200 plus games for Celtic which was unbelievable.
“So, it wasn’t easy – there was a million things to weigh up – but I just felt it was the right time to do it. I wanted to play regularly, and that is probably the big factor.”
On next year’s title race, he said: “It’s always difficult at the start of a season to know where it goes, but Celtic have been incredibly consistent for so many years now – they have an amazing staff with a great group of players that are hungry for more success.
“I think that is the important part – not one player in that changing room has lost that hunger, so it will be difficult to come out on top of Celtic.”
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