Kieran Tierney 'decided' against early Celtic arrival as January call backfires with Arteta to fulfil his Arsenal pledge
Celtic-bound Kieran Tierney reportedly played a role in the decision to remain at Arsenal before his return to the Scottish champions.
Brendan Rodgers confirmed the defender has agreed a pre-contract return to Parkhead with his contract at the Emirates set to expire in the summer - but a deal could not be agreed to bring him back to Celtic early on loan with Jeffrey Schlupp signed on deadline day to provide cover for Greg Taylor at left-back. The Irishman surprisingly claimed a move to bring the 27-year-old was never on the table in January - with the Scotland international now left to fight for a spot in the Premier League giants starting line-up.
The 27-year-old has fallen behind rising talent Myles Lewis-Skelly in the pecking order with Oleksandr Zinchenko made to watch on as the Arsenal academy graduate battles Riccardo Calafiori for a starting spot. But The Athletic report that Tierney was happy to stay in North London until the summer.
It is claimed Celtic were keen to bring forward Tierney’s free transfer to January. However, Arsenal and Tierney "decided together" he would remain with Arteta’s squad until the summer. So far this season, the left-back has managed just one start across his five appearances for the club. And things could get even tougher for the defender during his final months as a Gunner.
Arsenal are currently in Dubai following their Carabao Cup elimination at the hands of Newcastle United with a rare 10-day break on their calendar. Boss Mikel Arteta is said to be running the rule over Ben White - who has been missing since November through injury.
Reports south of the border suggest that the 27-year-old will be included in the squad for next weekend's clash with Leicester City as the Spaniard looks to fast-track White's first-team return. It could see Tierney drift further from the starting line-up - and severely hamper his game time before his move to Celtic.
It comes are Arteta has previously stated that no player who was not committed to Arsenal would be given minutes. He said last month on Tierney: "I wouldn’t play a player that is thinking about leaving or is not committed to us, so he’s fully committed.
"He’s enjoying playing after a long period again with a really tough injury, so live the moment. He’s a big part of the squad now. He deserves to be in the squad and played really well after such a long time, so that’s the only thing I can say.”
