Arsenal left-back, Kieran Tierney has become an important player in the team adapting to the 3-5-2 or 3-4-3 formation.
Interestingly, this formation makes him adapt to the lifestyle of being a central defender. With the Scotland international, Mikel Arteta can rest assured of good defensive cover with the Scot. Although he is used to playing different positions during his stint with Celtic and even the national team.
But recently Arsenal suffered a 3-0 defeat before the international break in the hands of Aston Villa at the Emirate Stadium – in a performance that is not encouraging and contrast to their performance in the Europa League three days earlier against Molde.
Having ensured their qualification for Euro 2020 a few days ago, it could be a springboard for more success.
Why Arsenal signed Tierney from Celtic
Kieran Tierney is a youth product of Celtic, who later made his first-team debut in April 2015. He will later make his full international debut in March 2016.
Having been on his trail for a while, Arsenal eventually signed him in August 2019 for a fee reported at £25 million, a record amount both for a Scottish national and for a player from the Scottish league.
Tierney was born in Douglas on the Isle of Man, before moving to Wishaw in Scotland aged 10 months. Having been Celtic support from childhood, he signed for the club when he was 7 years old.
He acquired education at Motherwell schools St Brendan’s RC Primary and Our Lady’s High (one year group behind fellow footballers, twins Nicky and Chris Cadden). He then attended St Ninian’s High School, Kirkintilloch, which has a development partnership with Celtic.
One of his aims was to emulate the late Tommy Gemmell, a member of the Lisbon Lions team who also grew up in Wishaw (specifically, Craigneuk) and played in the same position.
He earned his reputation as a wide player after progressing through the various youth ranks in the club’s development squad, both in defence and attack.
His journey into the first team started when he traveled with them on a pre-season trip to Finland in August 2014. He then made his debut in a friendly against Tottenham Hotspur there.
Despite losing the game against the English club, Tierney described his first appearance for the first team as a “dream come true”. He continued his development with the youth squad throughout 2014–15. One of his best goals came in October 2014 during a Development League match against Heart of Midlothian when he scored a goal from the edge of his own penalty box.
2015–16 was then the breakthrough season for him as he made his competitive senior debut for Celtic on 22 April 2015, coming on as an 81st-minute substitute in a Scottish Premiership match against Dundee.
After another first-team appearance that season, in which he played over an hour in a league match away at St Johnstone, he then enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2015–16, appearing in over 30 matches and displacing the more experienced Emilio Izaguirre as first-choice left-back.
He was rewarded for his performances by winning both the Players’ and Writers’ Young Player annual awards while Celtic also won the league title.
Before joining Arsenal amidst interest from Premier League clubs, Tierney signed a new five-year contract on 24 June 2016, keeping him at Parkhead until 2021.
He then suffered ankle ligament damage during training on 27 October 2016 after making his first appearances in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League. Tierney was initially ruled out of action for two months.
While recovering, he also treated a recurring shoulder injury and attended several Celtic matches as a typical supporter in the company of his childhood friends.
He eventually returned to action on 22 January 2017, after three months of layoff in a Scottish Cup tie against Albion Rovers.
Tierney was at the end of the season crowned PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year for the second consecutive season on 7 May, making him the first to achieve this since Craig Levein in 1986.
He then won the 2017 Scottish Cup Final – in a match he was substituted after suffering a jaw injury. In spite of his lengthy injury absence, he featured in 40 matches during the campaign.
After being made captain in 2017 in a Scottish League Cup fixture against Kilmarnock in a match Celtic won the game 5–0, Tierney providing an assist and scored with a “wonderful strike” from 40 yards.
He then won both the Players’ and Writers’ Young Player awards for the third campaign in succession—and performed a major role in securing a historic ‘double treble’ for the club, making more than 50 appearances and playing the entirety of the domestic cup finals, both being 2–0 wins over Motherwell.
Tierney, who played the entirety of Celtic’s victory over Aberdeen in the 2018 Scottish League Cup Final on 2 December 2018 soon sustained a hip injury.
After returning to action on 24 February 2019, he then suffered from a hernia, which subsequently required surgery.
Arsenal eventually signed him up despite being injured on 8 August 2019. Tierney eventually recovered and made his first-team debut for Arsenal in a 5–0 win against Nottingham Forest in the EFL Cup on 24 September.
Tierney also assisted the first goal in a 4–0 home win against Standard Liege scored by Gabriel Martinelli a week later. He made his Premier League debut on 27 October, in a 2–2 draw with Crystal Palace.
He later sustained a shoulder injury in the game against West Ham United.
Being a hardworking defender, Tierney won Arsenal’s Player of the Month award for June after the resumption of action after the COVID-19 holiday. His first Arsenal goal came on 26 July, in a 3–2 win against Watford on the final day of the 2019–20 Premier League season.
He won his first title at Arsenal in a 2-1 win in the FA Cup final against Chelsea at Wembley.
So far this season, he has played 11 games for the Gunners.
Internationally, Tierney played for Scotland at Scotland U18 and Scotland U19 levels. His first senior national team debut was on 10 March 2016 in a friendly against Denmark. So far he has played 17 games for the Scottish senior national team.
Being a utility player, he was at some point in the national team played out of position and he seemed to adapt well.
Who is Kieran Tierney dating?
It was gathered that the 23-year-old has not been previously engaged. He is single. As of 2020, Kieran Tierney’s is not dating anyone.
Tierney’s salary and net worth
Tierney signed a 5-year contract for a reported $90,000 a week after passing a medical. It means he earns a salary of 3.5 Million Euro (3.2 Million Pound) per year.
The Scottish left-back has a net worth surmounting to €19.5 million (£17.7 million).
