Kieran Tierney serenaded by Arsenal fans as Gooners plead with Celtic hero to stay in London
He may look set for a return to Celtic imminently, but Arsenal supporters have shown they still have plenty of love for Kieran Tierney.
The full-back is Brendan Rodgers' top transfer target this month, and it seems like only a matter of time before he's back in the Hoops. But in a rare outing for Arsenal, KT was serenaded by Gooners who sent a clear message to boss Mikel Arteta. The 27-year-old made his first appearance for over a month in their 3-0 success against Dinamo Zagreb at the Emirates, with many seeing it as a final farewell for the Scotland star.
Tierney replaced Oleksandr Zinchenko in the 74th minute of the match - making his first Champions League appearance for the Gunners, with a rendition of "Kieran Tierney, he's one of our own" ringing around the packed stadium almost immediately after. And supporters on social media made it very clear that they would be gutted to lose Tierney, who has become a firm favourite - despite being plagued by injury issues.
One posted: "Always remember that you played a big part in getting us here KT" whilst another added: "There is a place in this time for him somewhere, he's such a baller." and a third posted: "I think I'm safe in saying that every single Arsenal fan would love KT to stay."
The mood in Glasgow's East End however was very different, as fans almost unanimously called on Tierney to get himself back to Parkhead for the crunch play off matches next month. One fan said: "Up the road now for the knockouts" whilst another joked: "Get that Tesco bag packed and up the road!"
Arsenal have decided not to trigger the one-year extension option they had in Tierney’s contract, opening the door for a return to Celtic - where he played 170 times between 2014 and 2019. However the move has become a dragged out saga this month, even causing friction between boss Brendan Rodgers and elements of the Celtic support - who were singing Tierney's name during a home match with St Mirren.
Rodgers labelled that "disrespectful" towards current left-back Greg Taylor, adding: "Greg Taylor, he’s been absolutely amazing at this club. How does he feel? He nearly breaks his nose, bleeding for the club, for a cause. It’s not very respectful. You sing for another player, no matter what Kieran’s history is. I don’t like that. There’s lots of speculation, lots of names, but I wouldn’t add anything to it.”
