You only realise what you are missing once it has gone, and perhaps Celtic are finding that out now.
Yes, everyone was excited by Kieran Tierney’s return to Celtic in the summer, and that, understandably, got the main headlines.
But, perhaps, there should have been more noise around Greg Taylor’s exit, as he opted against signing a new contract and signing for Greek side PAOK as a free agent.
With the first month of the new season locked in, the Celtic supporters are starting to get a feel of what they are missing now that Taylor isn’t here, and you could argue that his reputation is rising.
- READ MORE: Greg Taylor reveals one key difference he has noticed since leaving Celtic for Greek football
Celtic without the ‘underrated’ Greg Taylor amid Kieran Tierney’s slow start
Tierney hasn’t looked himself since returning from Arsenal, including not being able to complete 90 minutes because of his previous injury issues.
Speaking on Clyde 1 Superscoreboard, Cammy Bell thinks Tierney will ‘come good’ eventually for Celtic, but he feels it further proves how ‘underrated’ Taylor was during his time in Glasgow.
Bell explained how Taylor, who got a fair amount of stick from fans last season, was someone who was ‘fantastic’ and ‘understood’ Brendan Rodgers’ system very well.
“First and foremost, Kieran Tierney is a fantastic player,” said Bell. “I really do rate him.
“Certainly, he hasn’t found the form. It’s difficult, you have these huge expectations. You have seen him play down at Arsenal and what he previously did at Celtic. You expect him to come back and handle it slightly better than he has so far.
“I get that it’s down to his fitness, and he isn’t getting a full 90 minutes. He can’t do that yet. I think he will come good, of course, he would. He’s a fantastic player.
“Again, we mentioned it. They are a little short on that side. You look back and think how good a job Greg Taylor did for so many years at Celtic.
“He was very underrated, for me. I thought he was always a fantastic player. He understood Brendan Rodgers’ system. He works really well down that left-hand side. I think Kieran Tierney will come good.”
Taylor’s stats for Celtic last season
Taylor had a fair few people challenging him for the left-back spot last season, including Alex Valle and, later on, Jeffrey Schlupp.
For a small period, Schlupp did dethrone the Scotland international from his starting spot, but he would eventually finish the campaign at left-back.
The critics can argue all they want about how there were too many sideways and backwards passes from Taylor, at the end of the day, he was tasked by Rodgers to try to control and dictate the game by coming into midfield.
He did his job very well and should have been appreciated a lot more.
- Taylor’s Premiership matches last season: 24
- Assists: 7
- WhoScored rating: 7.10
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