Real reason Arsenal let Kieran Tierney join Celtic for free

FanSided World Football

·31. März 2025

Real reason Arsenal let Kieran Tierney join Celtic for free

Kieran Tierney will be leaving Arsenal as a free agent in the summer but that has not stopped Mikel Arteta from giving him playing time in recent months. He has featured in the club's last three Premier League games. So, why did they not take up the option to extend his deal by another year? Celtic fans won't be complaining about that decision.

That is because Celtic took that opportunity to agree on a pre-contract with Tierney. He will be returning to his boyhood club as a free agent in the summer.

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In terms of quality, Tierney will arguably be the best player in Scotland from the moment he rejoins Celtic. That question marks have never been about his ability though but instead his injury problems.

That is the biggest reason why he was not able to establish himself at Arsenal. And with the recent emergence of Myles Lewis-Skelly, the club were content to let the injury-prone Scotsman's contract run out.

Real reason Arsenal let Kieran Tierney join Celtic for free

Kevin Gallacher wrote in his column in The Sunday Post (via Glasgow World):

"We saw plenty of boldness, too, in the decision not just to pick Myles Lewis-Skelly but to start him in both games. The 18-year-old only made his Premier League debut for Arsenal in September yet here he was playing back-to-back international matches. It worked a treat, too. He scored an excellent opener to help break down Albania in the first game and impressed as a player who had been born to play at the top level.“He is a kid who has known nothing but success so far and it shows in his play. He is fearless out there. We know a bit about him in Scotland, too, as his emergence has been a key factor in Arsenal's decision not to renew Kieran Tierney's deal but instead to let him move on in the summer. Celtic have managed to persuade him to return to his first love and Scotland boss Clarke will be hoping he gets plenty of first-team football up here as he is an important player for the country."

Lewis-Skelly has done well for Arsenal, that is for sure. It will be interesting to see what the future holds for him.

As for Celtic, his emergence helped them sign Tierney as a free agent. So, they will be happy about the entire situation as well.

Now, the fans will wait until the summer before welcoming back one of their own. One can only hope that this proves to be a happy reunion for Tierney.

If he is anywhere near his best, he will prove to be an incredible addition to this Celtic team, and perhaps one day go on to wear the captain's armband. The concerns are there regarding his fitness situation and how much football he has left in the tank, even at 27 years of age.