Kieran Tierney has said goodbye to Arsenal fans as he prepares to return to Celtic.
Tierney and the Hoops agreed pre-contract terms earlier this year, following the ongoing speculation surrounding his future.
Fans had been hoping the club would also squeeze through a loan deal until the end of the season but the defender played out his final months at Arsenal and marked the end of a chapter with a superb moment to remember.
Kieran Tierney leaves Arsenal for Celtic return
Tierney marked the end of his six-year stay in north London in spectacular fashion. The Gunners, who finished the season second in the Premier League, ended the campaign with a 2-1 win on the road against Southampton.
Mikel Arteta handed Tierney one final start in red and white and he repaid the faith with a goal to mark the end of an era. The left-back scored his sixth Arsenal goal as he bid farewell to the club, ready to embark on a new chapter back in Scotland.
Arteta revealed that it was always Tierney’s plan to score in his final appearance for Arsenal, and described the Scotland star as a ‘big part of the journey’ at the Emirates.
Tierney is among 20 players who will leave Arsenal Football Club this summer. The club released its full retained list, confirming the departures of both men’s and women’s senior players, as well as U18 and U21 starlets.
Tierney is on the departing list along with the likes of Italian international Jorginho, Raheem Sterling, and Women’s Champions League winner Lina Hurtig.
Kieran Tierney says farewell to Arsenal
Tierney has said his farewells to Arsenal, his teammates and the fans as he prepares to return to Celtic and be reunited with Brendan Rodgers.
Speaking to the club’s website, Tierney discussed his time with the Gunners and described this moment as a ‘happy goodbye’.
“Just thank you for everything from day one. They supported us through the good times and the bad, and they supported me through some hard times as well,” the 27-year-old said to the supporters.
“I think that's what I'm most grateful for, the times where it wasn't so good or so easy for me is when they probably supported me most, so I'm just very grateful and I feel very lucky to have the support from them.
“I feel so lucky that I've played for this club and the love that the supporters have given me has been amazing. I've loved every day here and I've learned so much, I've improved so much and I just feel very lucky.”
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