Kieran Tierney

Going to be tough for him to dislodge Zinchenko this season..

 

If Tierney stays fit, I think Zinchenko will play in midfield.

Arsenal should be exciting next season. Made a couple of great signings and Saliba looks great.

 

Will probably play Zinchenko in midfield when Tierney is fit though.

Might play 3 at the back also, they used to play that im sure when Arteta first went there and done well and were really solid defensively but they stopped as they were * in attack and not scoring much although they now they have Odegaard, Saka, Smith-Rowe and Martinelli are all more experienced and they have Gabriel Jesus - even Partey and Zinchenko in midfield are more creative than was it Guendouzi and Xhaka who mostly played there when they played 3-5-2 and they have Tomiyasu now who has been good for them when it was that guy that played for Southampton who played right back who is quite limited.

 

Maybe even this as well, depending on the game.

Zinchenko —————— Tomiyasu
KT Saliba Gabriel ​

 

Give me KT every day of the week and twice on Sunday.

 

Tierney is the best left back in the world for me. Zinchenko signed as a midfielder / left back when Tierney is injured I believe.

 

Kieran Tierney admits he struggled to deal with moving to London after leaving Celtic.

The 25-year-old left his boyhood club in 2019 to complete a £25million move to Arsenal.Tierney was adored in Glasgow by the Hoops faithful after enjoying unprecedented success under Brendan Rodgers at Parkhead. But the Scotland ace has revealed that leaving his friends and family behind left him extremely homesick.



Tierney confessed that he now lives with his chef, Johnny McCallum, which has helped him transition to life in the English capital. The former Celtic hero also opened up on losing some of his close friends to suicide and admits he felt powerless to help them as they never expressed their troubles.




However, the Gunners star now feels a sense of responsibility to help those suffering from mental health issues.

Speaking on the new Amazon Prime docuseries, All Or Nothing: Arsenal, Tierney said: “It was hard to start with, I was really struggling. Really low point. Homesickness was terrible to start with.


Outside training you had a lot of time to think. I’m not saying I was ever in a bad, bad place where I was suicidal.


But my friends have been. Two or three of them have committed suicide, lost their life. You’re with these people and you don’t know a thing. They’ve not spoke




So I think I feel a certain responsibility to try and help as much as I can because I kind of know how it feels to be in a certain place.

 

Mon back son

 

Agree but KT plays once on Sunday and is out for the next 4 unfortunately

 

Wonder if the Man City interest was genuine at all.

They seemed nailed on to get Cucurella but didn’t want to overpay and looks like he’s off to Chelsea.

Maybe they’ll revisit a move for KT now. I would imagine Arsenal would deal if the price was right now that they’ve got Zinchenko in and the fact KT has been hampered with injuries.

 

Think he was considered before him, but the price was too high, and they moved on to Cucarella. Judging by the timescale of the rumours

 

This interview was originally scheduled for April 7 but they say if you want to make * laugh, tell him your plans.




Kieran Tierney had big plans, too. He wanted to help Arsenal to a top-four finish in the Premier League. He wanted to take Scotland to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. But on the eve of our original meeting, some pain in Tierney's left knee led to a scan which led to surgery which led to three months on the sidelines.

It was a difficult time for this likeable 25-year-old. Thankfully, he's now fit and free from discomfort. He is set to be in the squad for tonight's season-opening trip to Crystal Palace but first, he's here to meet Sportsmail columnist Chris Sutton at St Michael's Manor Hotel in St Albans for a highly anticipated chat. Reporter Kieran Gill listened in.




CHRIS SUTTON: How's the knee, Kieran?



KIERAN TIERNEY: I'm ready. I'm good to go. I went to a training camp in Marbella in the summer and worked there for 10 days to get fit, me and the sports scientists and physios and a few others. In a sad way, I know my way around an injury now. But it definitely doesn't get any easier.

SUTTON: I felt so sorry for you. Your knee clicks in training and suddenly, no more football for months. I want to take you back to when you moved from Celtic to Arsenal on Deadline Day in 2019. Did the £25million fee weigh on your mind?

TIERNEY: Maybe. But I was proud of it as well, becoming the most expensive Scottish player ever.



SUTTON: Arsenal chased you for a while, didn't they?

TIERNEY: First when Arsene Wenger was in charge. I was only 18 years old, played maybe 35 games for Celtic and a few times in the Europa League. But I was still a boy. I wasn't ready. You see some players move early and it doesn't work out.

SUTTON: How difficult was that decision to eventually leave Celtic? You'd been there since the age of seven. You won, what, three Trebles? Four?

TIERNEY: Three.

SUTTON: Just the three! Your family are all Celtic fans. You're a Celtic fan. How hard was that?

TIERNEY: Easily the hardest decision I've ever had to make because of how much it pulled on my heart strings. My family loved going to Celtic games and seeing their son, brother, nephew, cousin play and I felt bad taking that away from them.




SUTTON: You were an incredibly popular player up there but as you know, there's a small section of supporters who are unforgiving if you leave. Was that a concern for you and your family?




TIERNEY: We'd seen the reaction that Brendan Rodgers had got (when he left Celtic for Leicester), so it was kind of scary. But it's a very small minority.

A lot of people messaged me saying: 'All the best', 'We're so proud of you', 'Go down there and smash it'. I still look back and see those as my best days — to be playing for your boyhood club. I lived the dream.

SUTTON: So it's Deadline Day, 2019, Sky Sports News have been discussing your future all day until Arsenal finally have you and you're on a private plane bound for London…




TIERNEY: It was easyJet! The Arsenal fans were tracking my flight!

SUTTON: I hope Arsenal sprung for extra legroom for you, at least. Was that a mad day?

TIERNEY: It was a phone call. One minute I was home and telling my mum: 'I'm staying. Nothing's happening.' Two hours later, I get a call: 'You need to pack. You're moving.' I had no time to think.

SUTTON: Were you totally confident that you'd smash it in the Premier League or slightly scared while sitting on that flight?

TIERNEY: I was nervous. In the Premier League, there are all these superstars and you never see yourself as one of them. But as soon as I got here, I wanted to work hard to prove myself




The manager and board liked me because they paid the money. But the team were maybe thinking: 'Who's this guy from Scotland that we've signed?' I wanted to prove myself to my new team-mates.

SUTTON: You mentioned Brendan Rodgers. How big was he for you at Celtic?

TIERNEY: When you're younger, you don't know about tactics, but he taught me about football. I don't think I'd be the player who got a move without him. He shaped me.

SUTTON: You'll get to tell him that in person when Arsenal play Leicester next week!




Tierney suffered from homesickness when he first moved to London. Covid-19 didn't help because it stopped him from seeing his family.

Arsenal helped him through that and now St Albans, the Hertfordshire city close to the club's training ground, feels like a second home.




there is an unbreakable connection between this Scot and his homeland. Ask Tierney his three favourite footballers and he'll name a trio of Celtic greats — Scott Brown, Henrik Larsson and Bobo Balde.

SUTTON: Where am I?

TIERNEY: You're fourth!

SUTTON: (laughs) I don't begrudge you having Bobo in there. For anyone not aware of Bobo, he was famous for hitting people indiscriminately in the tunnel at Celtic Park.

He was a brilliant performer, 100 kilos of ripped mass. Celtic had a few ferocious trainers. Bobo was one of them and you're another from what I hear.

TIERNEY: Even Steve Clarke, the Scotland manager, has told me: 'You don't need to train at 100 per cent every single day!' But I do.




It's what I need to feel ready. If I've got three games in the next week, you might think: 'I'll take this session easy.' But as soon as it turns competitive, I want to win.

SUTTON: That's not a bad thing! Look, I know you. You're a down-to-earth lad who happens to be a brilliant left back. Did you find it strange when you went viral on social media for bringing your boots to a game in a Tesco's carrier bag?

TIERNEY: I'm not sure it would've been too much of a big deal in Scotland! But it's not the norm down here. Tesco's is right next to my flat! That's one of the three places I went when I moved to Arsenal. I'd go from the training ground to Tesco's to my flat!

SUTTON: I did hear you didn't venture into London much after moving.

TIERNEY: Going into busy cities doesn't interest me. I'm a bit of a hermit! When I first moved, if I had two days off, I'd be driving home to Scotland. But now I'm happy here. I'm proper settled.




Ask anyone at Arsenal about Tierney and invariably they'll say: 'A nice lad.' An hour in his company confirms that, and that will no doubt come across in the club's Amazon Prime documentary.

A clip from that programme swept across social media this week because it showed Mikel Arteta blasting You'll Never Walk Alone over loudspeakers during a training session. It was to prepare the players for their trip to Liverpool's Anfield at the weekend.

SUTTON: I imagine you liked that, given it's a Celtic song as much as a Liverpool anthem.

TIERNEY: I had a great training session! I'm sure I said at the time: 'We sing it better!'

SUTTON: Some people have taken the mickey out of Arteta for that idea. But it shows attention to detail, doesn't it?

TIERNEY: You need to try things. If it works, amazing. If it doesn't, it's not because of that. We'll do whatever we can to be prepared.




SUTTON: Arteta played for Rangers. Do you ever discuss that?

TIERNEY: All the time. He was hammering me last season because they were in the last-16 of the Europa League, then the quarter-finals, then the semi-finals.

After the final (which Rangers lost to Eintracht Frankfurt) he never said a word! He's the boss so I can't say too much to him! Don't worry, the silence was deafening!

SUTTON: Oleksandr Zinchenko has come in, another left back, though he can play in midfield. Did Arteta have a word with you about that?

TIERNEY: No, but I'm not surprised because I've never had that. At a club like Arsenal, you need competition. For where we want to go, you need at least two players for each position. He is a great signing.

SUTTON: Do you embrace the competition?

TIERNEY: Genuinely, I love it. I love being up against it. I'm coming back from injury. I know I'll need to work my way back. But I'm ready.




SUTTON: Did we first meet at a PFA Scotland awards evening? You used to win everything. There were hundreds of people there and you were probably the only sober one. You look after yourself




TIERNEY: I do everything I can. I've even got a chef now!

SUTTON: Johnny McCallum, one of the club's chefs. I'd heard you two live together. My daughter, Sophia, made me a cheese sandwich for this trip. You've got a chef and I've got my 10-year-old cooking for me!

TIERNEY: I'd cook the same meal over and over. Chicken and pasta, and maybe a Pot Noodle to break it up! Cooking was my big downfall.

SUTTON: Handy to have a room-mate like Johnny, then, keeping you right. But being teetotal, that's a sacrifice you make for your football.

TIERNEY: People might look at me and think: 'He's injured again, he's unprofessional.' But I do everything I can to look after myself.






SUTTON: What would a perfect season look like for you, personally?

TIERNEY: Personally, staying fit, getting a run of games, finding form. Collectively, getting into the Champions League and winning a trophy.

The signings have been amazing, like Gabriel Jesus from Manchester City. The first thing I said to him was: 'I hated playing against you!'.




I'm buzzing he's on our team now. There is a feeling in the camp, a different hunger, a different desire.




Even the 6-0 win over Sevilla on Saturday. It's a pre-season friendly but you can only beat what's in front of you. We've got enough to be optimistic this season.

 

Kieran Tierney is subject of interest from Manchester City, according to reports.

The Arsenal and Scotland star has impressed since his move to England and with Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko moving to the Gunners from the Etihad this summer, the roles could now be reversed after Zinchenko's arrival pushed Tierney down the pecking order at Emirates Stadium



According to The Telegraph, City could turn to Tierney, who has developed into a proven Premier League left-back, rather than players with little to no experience of playing in England. They have been heavily linked with a move for Anderlecht's Sergio Gomez in recent days, with reports suggesting City are close to agreeing a deal for the Spaniard. If Tierney was to join Pep Guardiola's side this summer, Celtic could land a significant windfall as a result of a 15 percent sell-on fee was part of the deal which saw Tierney head to Arsenal in August 2019.




However, it’s thought the north London club would be looking for upwards of £50million if they were to even consider selling the defender. Tierney is under contract at the Emirates until 2026 though, and Mikel Arteta will likely put up a fight to fend off any summer interest. Despite struggling with injuries, the 25-year-old was still highly influential for the Gunners last season and notched four goal contributions in 22 league games. His absence was felt when he was not available, with Arsenal losing seven of the 16 matches he didn't feature in.




His pre-season has been hampered by yet more injury niggles but he came off the bench late on in Arsenal’s victory against Crystal Palace in their opening match of the new Premier League season. City are desperate to add another quality addition at left-back, with Joao Cancelo and Kyle Walker their only senior full-backs. Marc Cucurella was the Manchester club's top target before Chelsea nipped in and met Brighton's asking price, with a deal coming to around £55m plus add-ons.

Nathan Ake and John Stones have been able to fill in on the flanks when required, but Guardiola wants to add a natural player who can slot straight into the role. And Tierney is seen to be an ideal replacement for Zinchenko.

 

Might be something in it..

Been a few deals between the two club's because of the Pep/Arteta connection, although mostly one way....the Spanish boy from Brighton going to Chelsea also..

Hope so..

 

I wonder if the team at City might be able to control his injuries and help reduce them.

Would be interesting to see what he'd do there

 

Is the sell on fee Celtic would receive from the total cost or from the profit.
Difference is from possible £50mn
From Total cost Celtic would get £7.5mn
From profit Celtic would get £3.75mn

 

I think Arsenal will want to keep the two of them. It’ll take a big bid.

 

Here's hoping.

 

Would be a good move for him, he is better than Arsenal and I trust the Man City team to do a better job of taking care of his body than Arsenal (or we) managed.