Forward-thinking Celtic want to bring Kieran Tierney back to Parkhead – and he could make his return at Ibrox if the Premiership champions get their way.
The 27-year-old made his first appearance for Arsenal this season on Wednesday night after a hamstring injury picked up at Euro 2024. He is being eyed by his boyhood heroes and the deal and there would be no red tape which would stop Tierney making his second debut against Rangers at Ibrox on January 2 – despite it being a public holiday north of the border. Tierney has been told by Mikel Arteta that the Gunners won’t be taking up the additional option in his contract – which means he will become a free agent at the end of the season and Record Sport understands Brendan Rodgers will push to try and seal an emotional Celtic reunion as soon as the window opens, with a loan leading to joining in a permanent deal on the table.
And Tierney could follow a fellow Hoops full-back by being handed his debut against bitter rivals Rangers at Ibrox – just hours after inking his contract. Canadian international Alistair Johnston, who was a standout performer at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, officially became a Celtic player on January 1 2023 – and was thrown straight in at the deep end by Ange Postecoglou, making his first appearance for the club in a 2-2 draw with Rangers at Ibrox the following day.
That could be a good omen for Celtic fans too, with Tierney only on the losing side once in the 13 matches he played against Rangers – a 7-6 Scottish Cup semi-final penalty shootout defeat back in 2016.
After joining Unai Emery’s Arsenal for a fee reported to be around £25m in the summer of 2019, Tierney made himself an important player under Mikel Arteta’s management – but was hampered by injury in north London, only making more than 30 appearances twice in his time as a Gunners player. He spent last season on loan in La Liga with Real Sociedad, but hadn’t played a club match since May until playing 70 minutes for Arsenal in their Carabao Cup clash with Crystal Palace on December 18.