The prospect of Kieran Tierney returning to Celtic routinely circulates and there are plenty of supporters who would love to see the former Bhoy return home.
The Lennoxtown graduate is still at Arsenal despite being yet to feature this season, with Oleksandr Zinchenko and Ricardo Calafiori in front of him int he pecking order at the Emirates Stadium.
Reports earlier this week claim Kieran Tierney wants to return to Celtic in January, and the Gunners are open to sanctioning an exit, with a loan move deemed to be preferential for the Bhoys.
Previously, the Scotland international refused to rule out making a historic Celtic Park comeback, stating: “Who knows? You never know in football; it’s a connection that I’ll always have, somewhere I imagine I’ll always be linked with if I’m to move from any club, so you never know.”
Winning eight trophies and registering eight goals and 37 assists in 170 appearances for the Bhoys, his contribution in Glasgow remains fondly remembered by everyone connected with the club.
With rumours doing the rounds that he could return, Andy Walker has given his verdict on whether Tierney re-joining Celtic is a realistic possibility.
Andy Walker on Kieran Tierney returning to Celtic
Speaking on the Go Radio Football Show, Walker believes Celtic will be one of a ‘number’ of options for Tierney to consider as he weighs up his next move.
He explained: “I think it might be an option, but he’ll have a number of options. He’s already been over to Spain, I think Kieran’s problem just now is he’s just too prone to injury, we all know what he can do, he was just a fabulous player for Celtic and really deserved that move to the top-flight.
“It worked out for him for a spell, but when you keep picking up niggling injuries, it’s really difficult to keep going and get a run of games. That’s what you want him to do, but he’ll definitely have options, Celtic being one of them.
Later, referring to his volume of games, he continued: “I don’t know if he’s maybe been overplayed when he was younger, I don’t know if that’s a consideration for him. I just wish him well, I hope he can get back to a level of fitness. There’s nothing better than playing a full season, every game.
“I know that the demands are there; sometimes you can play 50/60, close to 70 games (in a season). We’ve seen that with Callum McGregor in recent years, I know there’s a lot of debate just now about an overload and a fixture schedule that’s just a bit bit too much, but for Kieran Tierney, you just want him to be available every week.”
Kieran Tierney would be welcomed back warmly at Celtic
As shown above, Tierney was pictured with Brendan Rodgers at Celtic FC Foundation’s gala dinner last week, so rumours over a potential return were bound to blow up in the following days.
Ultimately, Walker makes a good point. Despite the excitement any potential move would bring, his consistent injury problems would be a concern to contend with.
However, Tierney’s quality cannot be understated. Rarely do you have a player come through from the Celtic Academy and go on to secure a £25 million move to Arsenal so early in their career.
Realistically, supporters will have to wait and see whether there could be any potential movement in the January window or beyond. He would be welcomed back warmly by everyone.
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