Kieran Tierney is reputedly ready to leave Arsenal during the January transfer window after accepting that he is no longer in Mikel Arteta’s plans.
Tierney, 27, made just one appearance for the Gunners last season – as a late substitute in the Community Shield success against Manchester City at Wembley Stadium. Days before the summer transfer window ended, the defender joined Real Sociedad on a season-long loan and made 26 appearances across all competitions during another injury-affected campaign.
However, a hamstring injury sustained while playing for Scotland at the European Championship this summer, which required surgery, has prevented him from playing yet this season. The setback similarly prevented any move from materialising before last month’s transfer deadline.
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CaughtOffside claims that if injury had not struck, the plan was for Tierney to be elsewhere rather than remain at Arsenal. The full-back returned to training a month ago and seems set to become available for selection again sometime this month.
He sat behind the bench at the Emirates Stadium next to Takehiro Tomiyasu —who returned to action as a late substitute against Southampton last weekend—during the Gunners’ win against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League. Arsenal’s next match in the competition against Shakhtar Donetsk or the Carabao Cup fourth-round tie away to Preston North End could be opportunities for Tierney to make his comeback.
These latest reports stress no animosity between the player and Arteta despite the club moving on from him, which Tierney is said to accept. Our colleagues at the Daily Record suggest that a return to his boyhood club, Celtic, could happen in the new year, with Arsenal willing to sanction another loan move once the window opens.
