KT’s Arsenal factor that can positively impact Celtic

In 2019, the left-back made a transfer to Arsenal that set a new Scottish record at the time as he sealed a move to the Gunners for £25million.

Tierney featured in 144 games for the North London club, securing an FA Cup and two Community Shield trophies along the way.

During his time with Arsenal, he was loaned out for a season to La Liga club Real Sociedad. From Tierney’s perspective, these experiences will serve to strengthen Celtic when he rejoins the team for pre-season.

Speaking to Celtic TV, the 28 year-old said: “That’s probably the biggest difference in me now as a player is, six years on, I’m wiser, I’ve learned a lot more, I’ve been in different situations at different clubs.”

“So hopefully, the experience I can bring can help the changing room.”

After re-signing for the Scottish champions, Tierney disclosed that during his time down south, there had been earlier unsuccessful efforts to bring him back to Glasgow: “It was perfect timing for everybody,” he said. “It had been in the works before, but it wasn’t able to happen.”

“This time, everything just fell into place. I spoke with the manager, obviously, I worked with him before, and I’ve always kept in touch with him. He’s one of the best, and I’m so lucky and grateful that he’s given me the chance to come back.”

“I’m a different person, 100 per cent. When you move away from home, you grow up, you learn different things. I was away in Spain for a year, I learned a different language, learned a different league, so I’m definitely a different person. Player-wise, I’ll say, like I always say, I’ll try and work my hardest and do my best for the club.”

Conor Spence