Kieran Tierney is still an Arsenal player as Celtic fans patiently wait to see if he will return to the club this month.
The 27-year-old is out-of-contract in the summer and is expected to leave the Emirates Stadium, with Brendan Rodgers keen on a reunion at Celtic.
Tierney left his boyhood club for Arsenal in 2019 after dominating proceedings under Rodgers’ first spell in Glasgow.
Fast forward to the present and nothing much has changed because Celtic are still the kings of Scotland, including holding a 15-point lead at the top of the Premiership table.
You can bet your bottom dollar that Tierney would have been watching on from afar during all these years with a smile on his face as the Bhoys won trophy after trophy.
Over the weekend, as Celtic beat Ross County in Dingwall, less than 24 hours later, one of the biggest games in Europe was taking place in England’s capital.
Arsenal were knocked out of the 3rd round of the FA Cup by Manchester United on penalties and the London club took a risk with their out-of-favour left-back.
Mikel Arteta uses Kieran Tierney as Arsenal knocked out of FA Cup by Manchester United
Tierney returned from injury last month to play his first match for the Gunners in 19 months – he was on-loan at Real Sociedad last season – and his first competitive match since representing Scotland at Euro 2024.
But since that League Cup quarter-final tie against Crystal Palace, he has continued to be an unused substitute by Arteta as the Celtic transfer links swarm, up until their FA Cup game against Manchester United.
The Scotland international came on in the 113th minute of extra time for the injured Jorginho, in a forced substitution, as Arteta took a risk with the defender, despite a chance that he could leave this month.
The last thing Arsenal need is for Tierney to pick up a knock again, especially with Celtic knocking on the door and his supporters at Parkhead chanting his name.
How Arsenal fans reacted to Tierney as Celtic transfer links hover
Tierney is a popular player and that was proven when he came on as a sub for Arsenal.
These last few years, he has hardly featured, but those who cheer him on from the stands haven’t forgotten the effort he has put in since joining the club.
Therefore, it shouldn’t be a surprise that Tierney was given one of the biggest cheers of the game from the 60,000 Emirates crowd when he came onto the pitch and it’s very much deserved for a player who wears his heart on his sleeve.
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