Kieran Tierney may yet have to wait for his Celtic return chance.
Brendan Rodgers is pushing to sign KT in what would be a stunning comeback for the diehard Hoops fan.
The interest comes amid news that Arsenal were not planning on renewing the defender’s contract at the end of the season despite having the option to do so.
Celtic’s boss has been coy on the Tierney talk as he refused to confirm or deny any speculation or rumours circling in Scotland.
Tierney has been seriously struggling for game time with the Gunners in recent times since his £25million move back in 2019 and he even spent time on loan with Real Sociedad last term.
But manager Mikel Arteta recently claimed Tierney still had a big part to play with the Premier League giants as he offered little in the way of a nod to which way the left-back might go.
Tierney was given a run out against Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup recently before he was subbed off and that’s when Arteta initially hinted at a possible stay.
Tierney is on the bench for Arsenal at Brentford
Although Celts are still hopeful of a potential pre-contract in the January transfer window with a loan deal also becoming a potential avenue Rodgers and co. look to explore.
This evening, though, Tierney has been named on the bench as his side take on Brentford in domestic action and that could signal that Arteta still has plans for him this year.
It might come as a blow to some Hoops fans who had hoped to bring their hero back to Parkhead.
Given, however, that he did not start the action – with Riccardo Calafiori ahead of him and on the pitch from the kick-off – that could potentially still mean there is hope for Celtic.
Yet Arteta’s previous words ring true.
What Arteta has said about Kieran Tierney’s Arsenal future
He said after the Palace win: “At the moment he’s here with us.
“I wouldn’t play a player that is thinking about leaving or is not committed to us, so he’s fully committed. He’s enjoying playing after a long period again with a really tough injury, so live the moment.
“He’s a big part of the squad now.
“He deserves to be in the squad and played really well after such a long time, so that’s the only thing I can say.”
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