Kieran Tierney is back in Celtic colours after six years away.
The man who left and joined Arsenal in 2019 for a club-record transfer sale probably didn’t expect his homecoming to happen in this way, but Celtic will take it all day long.
That’s because Tierney rejoins as a free agent, and further proves why the powers that be at Celtic Park are so good at recruiting players, or in this case, bringing them back.
The 28-year-old’s Arsenal career started with a bang, including lifting the FA Cup months into Mikel Arteta’s reign as manager after he replaced Unai Emery – the man who signed Tierney.
But, as the seasons ticked by, so did Tierney’s game time reduce at the Emirates Stadium, including a loan spell in Spain last term.
And there seems to be a sense of empathy from the Arsenal faithful as Tierney returns to where it all started.
Kieran Tierney applauds the Arsenal fans after 1-0 win over Newcastle United
Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Arsenal fans think they have ‘ruined’ the best part of Kieran Tierney’s career
Tierney returned from a hamstring injury – sustained in the summer at Euro 2024 with Scotland – in December, but wasn’t regularly used by his manager.
When looking back at how Arsenal fans reacted to Tierney’s move to Celtic, Ross McCormack claimed that the supporters of the London club were ‘apologising’.
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McCormack added that the Arsenal fans feel that they have ‘ruined’ the best years of Tierney’s career, as he told Clyde 1 Superscoreboard.
“First of all, I would say it’s a no-brainer bringing him back,” said McCormack. “He is a hero with Celtic fans. He was unbelievable.
“Whether people like it or not, it’s probably going to be a bit of a risk. He is on high wages. His injury record is not great over the last few years, so you can look at it as a risk.
“When you look at it, how the Arsenal fans see him. Everything I have seen, whether it is on social media, phone-ins, or anything. The Arsenal fans absolutely love him. They are actually apologising to him online for ruining the best years of his career. That says a lot for me.”
Tierney’s injury record ahead of Celtic return
During Tierney’s six years at Arsenal, and remember he was loaned out for a season, he played 144 times for the Gunners.
According to Transfermarkt, the Scotland international missed 94 games because of injury for club and country.
That’s 11 different spells on the sidelines, and he will be hoping that all of that comes to an end now that he is back in Celtic colours.