NafisaMikel Arteta delivered a message for Kieran Tierney as the left-back departed Arsenal to rejoin Celtic ahead of the upcoming season…
Kieran Tierney, who is poised to become a free agent next month, scored in Arsenal’s final-day 2-1 win over Southampton at St Mary’s, finishing off a superb cross from Ben White inside the area.
In a conversation with Arsenal.com, Arteta shared that Tierney had predicted his goodbye would play out exactly as it did before Sunday’s match: “He said it yesterday, I’m going to score in my last Arsenal match, and he’s done it!” he said.
“So, credit to him, a special thank you to him. He’s been part of the journey, and he’s won with me. It’s true that he went to Sociedad for a few months, but it’s been a joy to work with him, a really special character. We wish him and his family all the very best.”
“The doors of this club are open for him – he’s someone very, very liked at the club, in the dressing room, and we want to wish him the best.”
Tierney transferred from Celtic to Arsenal in 2019 for what was then a record-breaking fee of £25 million during Unai Emery’s reign, who is now in charge at Aston Villa.
Across six campaigns, KT appeared in 144 games for the Gunners, scoring six times, and also spent a temporary stint with La Liga outfit Real Sociedad for a season.
In January, Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers confirmed that Tierney would return to the club after his deal with Arsenal concluded.
During his first tenure with the club, Tierney played in 170 matches for Celtic and captured eight pieces of silverware.
The 27-year-old, who has earned 49 caps for his national team, will be hoping to mark his 50th appearance in next month’s international fixtures against Iceland and Liechtenstein under Steve Clarke’s guidance.
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