Kieran Tierney, the former Celtic stalwart, may soon be donning the green and white hoops once more. After making over 170 appearances and securing five Scottish Premiership titles with Celtic, Tierney left for Arsenal in 2019. Now, as he enters the last six months of his Arsenal contract, talks of a return to Glasgow have gained momentum. The 27-year-old defender has been informed by Arsenal's manager, Mikel Arteta, that he is free to leave the north London club, sparking speculation about his next move.
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has expressed interest in bringing Tierney back to the club. Rodgers, who witnessed Tierney's pivotal role during a highly successful era at Celtic, described him as "one of us."
"Kieran was an instrumental part of a really, really successful period when I was here, and his talents then took him on to another challenge in the Premier League," Rodgers remarked.
Tierney's time at Arsenal has been marred by injuries, including a significant hamstring injury sustained while playing for Scotland at Euro 2024. This injury sidelined him for the first three months of the season. Despite his return to fitness, he has made only two appearances for the Gunners in the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup.
Celtic is actively pursuing the possibility of re-signing Tierney, potentially through a loan deal until the end of the season. Rodgers hinted at ongoing discussions but maintained caution.
"So, yeah, we'll be linked with lots of names, Kieran obviously, naturally because of his situation. But for us, we'll only ever tell you when we sign a player, once he's signed," he stated.
Tierney himself has not dismissed the idea of a return to Celtic. In a 2022 interview, he left the door open for a potential comeback.
"I think when a player who loves the club leaves, there's always that, 'what if he comes back', and you can't rule anything out," Tierney commented.
As Arsenal navigates player movements, Arteta emphasized focus on current squad dynamics.
"All the players that are here just want to focus on impacting the team. If something happens, we will assess it," Arteta said.
Celtic supporters remain hopeful that Tierney's homecoming could bolster their defensive ranks as they aim to maintain their dominance in Scottish football.
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