£25m star handed key to shock Arsenal return after transfer exit looked likely as Celtic hero lands reprieve

His departure from Arsenal looked likely - but a Celtic hero could now be in the frame for Gunners action.

Kieran Tierney is reverred as a boyhood hero at Parkhead after a trophy-laden stint in Hoops following time in the academy. He clinched a move to the Gunners for £25m in 2019 but he spent last season out on loan in La Liga with Real Sociedad.

Rumours were rife in the summer that he was going to be on his way out of Arsenal. And the man himself even admitted that he got the feeling that chances of action going forward in red were slim.

Arsenal are competing in the Champions League this season alongside Celtic in the revamped 36-team league system. In a shock move, boss Mikel Arteta has included the Scotland international in his ranks for the ‘A’ list.

Tierney is currently out injured with a hamstring problem sustained at Euro 2024 with Scotland but the fact he has been named in this squad suggests that the recovery process will be done before January, when the UCL league phase ends. Tierney has made 124 appearances for Arsenal since making the move from Celtic in 2019.

It’s not clear how big a part he plays in Arsenal’s season once he returns from injury, but inclusion here infers that Arteta still has the Scotland star in his mind. Steve Clarke has been unable to call upon him on international duty this month, with the left-sided-defender missing out during a 3-2 Nations League defeat to Poland at Hampden Park on Thursday night.