Another abysmal display from Arsenal tonight in their Europa League semi-final means that, once again, Kieran Tierney finishes the season trophyless. After losing 2-1 to Villarreal in the first leg, the Gunners’ failed to capitalise on their away goal with a 0-0 draw in the capital city, meaning that El Submarino Amarillo progressed to their first ever UEFA Cup/Europa League final at the fourth time of asking.

It gets worse for the former Celtic starling when you realise that there is a genuine strong chance of Arsenal not qualifying for European football for the first time in a quarter of a century. Poor results in the league mean that Arsenal need to win all of their remaining four games to even have a sniff at the continental tastes that the Premier League offers; a feat they haven’t managed all season. And that is without Merseyside duo Liverpool and Everton needing to win just three of their last five to cement their place above the sorrowful side, no matter what happens in North London.

Yet, as funny as it is to watch Arsenal (namely AFTV) self combust from their sensational invincibles era, it is sad to see that one of the only players trying to make a difference for his side is Tierney, and that his valiant efforts are to no avail. Brought up near the banks of the Clyde on the domestic successes of the Scottish Premier League, Scottish Cups and even some memorable European nights of his own, Tierney must feel like a lost sheep in London, wondering where it all went wrong in his career to end up at such a mediocre English side.

Only player that tried today. So proud of him. 💔 pic.twitter.com/dXFkJhFsqP

— Eduardo Hagn (@EduardoHagn) May 6, 2021

So much so, it begins to beg the question. Did Tierney jump ship at the wrong time, and to the wrong place?

As much as he was adored by the Celtic faithful, he was wrongly condemned for ‘selling the club out’ when he made the switch to the Emirates in the summer of 2019 for £25m – all in all, it was the right move at the time. Brendan Rodgers – who had a huge influence on the dominance of ‘KT’ – had gone, replaced rather dejectedly by Neil Lennon who despite later bringing 9IAR home, was a subdued appointment. Arsenal on the other hand had just entered a new era under Unai Emery, and despite their best efforts to slip away from the top 6, were unfortunate to lose the Europa League final against Chelsea. The signs were there for a promising new era post-Wenger  – and Tierney made the jump to help the regime.

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Hindsight is a wonderful thing, however, and two years in fans have started to critique Tierney’s move to a tee. What if he hadn’t left Celtic so soon – would he have benefitted and would he still be as successful today?

Firstly, he’d have had more trophies: had he stayed last season, his contribution to Celtic’s ninth title in a row under Lennon would have been just another major trophy added to his honours list. Factor in the Scottish League Cup win over theRangers, too, and Tierney would have already been two trophies up on what he has currently achieved at Arsenal.

What exactly did he expect from moving to the Gunners?

Secondly, he’d still have the acceptance of every single Celtic fan in the world, had he stayed. I’m not for one minute saying that all Celtic fans spite his actions; however, despite some vulgar opinions from our fanbase on KT’s exit, he was simply just a young boy following his dreams of wanting to win the Champions League – and there is more chance of that with the cash riches of the Premier League than there is the paltry financial situation in the Scottish top flight; that is extremely evident in today’s game. Simply put, he did what he felt he had to do, and that is understandable.

I’m going to be harsh on Arsenal and Tierney here, though, and say – what exactly did he expect from moving to the Gunners? Sure, they’re a big side, but they are a laughing stock of the version the world feared back at the dawn of the 21st century. Upon Kieran’s arrival, Henry, Bergkamp and Vieira had been replaced by an ageing Aubameyang, an injury prone Lacazette and an unreliable Granit Xhaka… were this calibre of players really the sort of team mates Tierney looked at and thought he was capable of winning continental trophies with? Surely not.

Sometimes, the grass isn’t always greener as they say, and as always, any Celtic player who tried their hardest in the famous green and white gets the majority of fans’ wishes.

It is most likely frustration that bore the minority of Celtic fans to pity KT for his departure… however, I think I speak for most Celtic supporters when I say this: we are all now frustrated by him for what he did, not only for ourselves in terms of leaving Celtic, but for him too in that his team mates certainly aren’t up to the standard he can reach. A player of his calibre – boasting leadership, humbleness, ability and determination – comes along once every 20+ years at Celtic Park. We all know he has these qualities, we just wish he didn’t waste it on such mediocrity at Arsenal. Tierney could have won the lot by moving to Manchester City or a similar sized club; or better still, he could’ve been the captain to lift 10IAR…that, we will never know.