Is a KT return to Celtic on the cards? If so is he worth the financial cost? Yes, if his fitness levels are satisfactory…

Kieran Tierney of Real Sociedad is challenged by Nico Williams of Athletic Club during the LaLiga EA Sports match between Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad at Estadio de San Mames on January 13, 2024 in Bilbao, Spain. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)

Kieran Tierney has been told he can leave Arsenal if any interested club meets the North London sides valuation which is believed to be around the £10 million mark. KT unsurprisingly has been linked with a move back to Celtic, but while it does have a realistic chance, is there any benefit to having KT back at the club? From a financial point of view would the deal make sense or could Celtic’s money be better spent elsewhere?

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Kingsley Coman and Kieran Tierney battle for the ball during the UEFA Champions League match between Celtic FC and Bayern Munich at Celtic Park on October 31, 2017. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

A £10 million fee would be matching or breaking our transfer record, depending on how much we actually paid PSG for Odsonne Edouard. And while KT would have to accept a hefty pay cut, he would still be one of the highest earners at the club.

At 27 we would unlikely have any sell on value on KT which also goes against our transfer strategy. Not to mention his injury history which is also very questionable to say the least. Yes KT is a player with unquestionable ability who would only strengthen our side and give us a much needed injection of quality on the left hand side of the defence, but the transfer fee and salary outlay along with his fitness issues would make it a very risky move.

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Ricardo Pereira and Kieran Tierney battle for possession during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Leicester City at Emirates Stadium on March 13, 2022. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

Indeed to be fair to KT, he has talked about coming back to Celtic but only if he is 100% sure about his own fitness.

“I don’t regret it,” Kieran Tierney told The Athletic on leaving Celtic in 2019 to join Arsenal in a £25m transfer. “I still miss it but I knew life would never be the same. I was living my dream. Being a footballer is the dream but playing for Celtic was the ultimate.

Kieran Tierney and Brendan Rodgers manager share a joke prior to the UEFA Champions League match between Celtic and Bayern Munich on October 30, 2017. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

“I left that to go and challenge myself in the Premier League and come up against the best to see how I’d cope. If I go back, I want to be feeling how I did there before.

“I’ll be a different player to what I was, as I’ve been away for years, but I wouldn’t want to go back if I wasn’t feeling 100 per cent in my body. I know the intensity and the demand to win so, if I go back, it will be when I’m still feeling good.”

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