‘I know the chances’ - Former Celtic star expects to leave Premier League giants with arrival imminent

Former Celtic defender Kieran Tierney is expected to leave Arsenal this summer after a five-year stint in North London.

The Hoops fan favourite arrived at Arsenal in August 2019 for a reported fee of £25m, making him both Celtic and the Scottish Premiership’s most expensive sale of all-time.

After an injury-hit start to his Arsenal career, Tierney thrived in the second half of his debut season and became a key player in Mikel Arteta’s side which became the 2020 FA Cup winner after a victory against London rivals Chelsea at Wembley Stadium.

The Scottish international’s career went from strength to strength at the Emirates and the following season he was one of the Gunners standout performers in the left back area despite Arsenal’s lacklustre eighth place finish in the league.

After August 2022, and the arrival of Manchester City’s Oleksandr Zinchenko, Tierney found first team minutes a lot more difficult to come by and a combination of injuries and the Ukrainians form made the former Celtic star a more peripheral figure at the Emirates Stadium.

Last summer, it was suspected that Arsenal made Tierney available for transfer following the arrival of Jurrien Timber. Both Newcastle and Celtic emerged as frontrunners to sign the full back, but were ultimately priced out of a deal by the Gunners’ hefty £30m price tag.

Tierney ultimately spent last season out on loan at Real Sociedad and made 22 appearances across competitions as the Basque side secured a sixth place finish in La Liga.

This spell was not enough for Tierney to force himself back into the Arsenal setup, according to reports from TeamTalk and the ex-Celtic star, himself, has admitted that his days in North London might be numbered.

In an earlier interview, he said: “Look at the squad depth in that position now. They have Zinchenko, Timber, Tomiyasu, Kiwior. Four players can play there.

“So if I go back and it’s the same as before then I’m not silly, I know the chances are I’ll be leaving.

“But you never know in football. You get the rare case with [William] Saliba, where he came back after a couple of good seasons [out on loan] but you don’t see it too often with someone who has played for four years, left, and then come back to play again.

“Stranger things have happened. I could go back and there is a place for me. So I’m prepared for both.”

Arsenal are currently on the verge of completing the signing of talented Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori. The Bologna star is primarily viewed as a central defender but his ability to also cover as a left back looks set to push Tierney even further down the pecking order.

Tierney is under contract at Arsenal until the summer of 2026, but it is suspected that Mikel Arteta will look to cut his losses on the Scottish international. Last month the Chronicle claimed that Tierney would be available for a third of last year’s price, with £10m being enough to secure his services.