Arsenal left-back Kieran Tierney is at somewhat of a crossroads in his career, but since joining the Emirates in 2019, the Scotsman has provided plenty of value to Mikel Arteta’s side.
The 27-year-old can play either as a left-back, a centre-back or a left midfielder with his primary position being at full-back. The versatile defender signed for the Gunners in 2019 from Celtic where he had spent all of the early part of his career.
Tierney signed for Arsenal for a fee of £25 million in summer 2019 at which point he was just 22 and had Gunners fans excited at the prospect of a long-term left-back for the club.
However, things never quite worked out for the Scottish international who has spent much of his career struggling with injury problems. After Arsenal signed Ben White in July 2021 and Oleksandr Zinchenko a year later, his role was virtually erased in Mikel Arteta’s team.
The defender has still made 124 appearances for the Gunners over the five years that he’s been at the Emirates, scoring five goals and providing 13 assists.
He has also won the FA Cup and two Community Shields with the Gunners and had a big role in the side during Mikel Arteta’s first two seasons at the club.
Kieran Tierney: A Celtic Park prodigy
As previously mentioned, Tierney began his career at Celtic in 2005 when he was just seven years old after he went to St Ninian’s High School which had a partnership with Celtic, his boyhood club.
He made his debut for the first team in 2014 during a pre-season match against Tottenham Hotspur in Finland when he was just 17. Tierney made his competitive debut for Celtic in April 2015 when he came on as a substitute against Dundee.
However, his breakout year came in the 2015/16 season at Celtic when he made 23 appearances at the age of 18 and helped his side to a Scottish Premiership Title.
He was crowned PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year after his breakout season in 2015/16 and followed it up by winning the award the year after too.
Tierney also managed to win two domestic trebles in two seasons with Celtic between 2016 and 2018 becoming one of the best Scottish players in the division along the way.
Due to his immense success at Celtic, Tierney made his debut for Scotland in March 2016 during a friendly game against Denmark.
He has gone on to record 47 caps for his national team playing on the opposite side of the pitch to Liverpool full-back Andy Robertson. Tierney scored his first goal for Scotland in 2022 when playing against Poland at Hampden Park.
Tierney’s injury-plagued time at Arsenal
The Scottish international joined Arsenal with a lot of promise, but due to several injury problems, he was never able to hit the heights that many thought he could.
When he first joined, he missed the start of his debut season for the Gunners due to a Hernia operation and he suffered a further issue with his shoulder during his first season meaning he could only make a total of 15 appearances.
His best season at the Emirates came in the 2020/21 season when he made 27 appearances in the Premier League.
Due to his fluctuating form and availability, Tierney was sent out on loan last season to Spanish side Real Sociedad where he made 20 La Liga appearances, producing two assists.
Mikel Arteta admits Tierney is not in his Arsenal plans
Recently, Football London reported that the left-back is not in Mikel Arteta’s plans. He sustained a hamstring injury during Scotland’s Euro 2024 campaign and if it wasn’t for that, he would have likely been sold.
Reports suggest that Tierney could be in line for a return to his boyhood club Celtic in January with the defender resigned to leaving the Emirates after a five-year spell in red and white.
Tierney’s contract expires in June 2026, so Arsenal will likely set a price tag for the 27-year-old and see what bids come their way.