Kieran Tierney Arsenal exit U turn explained as Celtic bound star one of 6 pillars for 'unprecedented summer'

Tierney's emotional Celtic homecoming will have to wait until the summer and an Arsenal legend thinks he knows why

Arsenal's cold feet over letting Kieran Tierney go now was a frustration for Celtic – but a Gunners legend thinks he knows exactly why it happened.

Yet there is a feeling they've only delayed the inevitable, with an 'unprecedented summer' of change incoming at the Emirates. Tierney has agreed on a pre-contract move back to Celtic but hopes of fast-tracking that move to bring him home in January were torpedoed by Mikel Arteta, who decided to keep him around for the final six months on his deal.

That led Brendan Rodgers to dip into the market and sign Jeffrey Schlupp on loan as short-term cover for Greg Taylor, after Alex Valle's loan from Barcelona was terminated. It means Celtic fans will have to wait for the emotional homecoming, although there's a feeling that will be worth the wait when he is unveiled in green and white again come the summer.

As for Arsenal, it's left them facing an 'unprecedented summer' according to the Daily Mail. Tierney is one of five players out of contract and the rest expected to leave at the end of this season, with Oleksandr Zinchenko – whose deal runs until 2026 – also predicted to be cast aside. That leaves Arteta facing a mammoth overhaul ahead of the 2025/26 season.

But club legend Bacary Sagna can see the logic in keeping Tierney for now, even if it is just kicking the can down the road to resolve the problem at a later date. Tierney's been used as a substitute in recent weeks and Sagna, speaking to Great Offshore Sports Books, reckons he'll be involved again before the end of the season. He said: “He’s a good player. He was playing for Celtic from a young age.

“He's an experienced player, and of course you want to be able to have a competitive team, so keeping him in the squad makes sense. The fact that Arsenal didn't let him go means they believe in him. Arsenal have players performing well at the minute in Tierney’s position, so it's hard to take them out.

“Timber is one of them, Calafiori is one of them. They're performing well, so the competition is there and it's difficult for him to get some game time, but you never know, he could be relied upon at a crucial moment in the season. Anything can happen.

“I hope Arsenal are going to have no injuries, but given the amount they have suffered this season, it makes sense to keep a player like Tierney in the squad. They need to anticipate a scenario where he may be required to play for one game or two games.

“Personally, I like the player, I like his ability to defend, I like the way he attacks. He's a good player and I think Mikel is trying to keep a group of players that are able to compete until the end of the season."