Guess Who’s Back, Back Again… KT’s Back; Tell a Friend…

Ross H Discusses The Return Of KT

There’s a concept that works; 20 million other left-backs emerge

But no matter how many fish in the sea

It felt so empty without KT…

(Eminem can sure hit with his lyrical genius)

It didn’t need a megaphone to announce it; just a glimpse of Celtic Adidas Sambas (Eddie has bought 4 pairs, 1 for his spring, summer, autumn and winter clothes collections) and the number 63 were big enough clues.

But is it a good thing?

Let’s be honest, the answer is yes. Kieran Tierney is a very good player, and when the chance to get a very good homegrown player who fills a gaping hole in the squad is possible, then the only time you don’t do it is if he’s totally broken. Kieran is not, but in saying that, he’s not without his dents in the bodywork; some of them were ones we made before he left for Arsenal, and unfortunately, he’s had a few over the years he’s been away. It’s a good move, and at the same time a risky move. We have to trust that the club has looked at the big picture, grabbed the megaphone and been like the man from Del Monte and said “YES”, “YES”, “YAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSS”.

His injury history has everything from hyperextension of his knee to numerous hamstring issues, a dislocated shoulder and a few other issues over his time at Arsenal.

His last 3 years of competitive football that take in minutes for Arsenal, Real Sociedad and Scotland look like this when compared to our benchmark Bhoy Callum McGregor:

We all know the injury point of view, but I want to take a slightly different slant. If this player wasn’t Kieran Tierney, just any left back, and they didn’t have the injury history that he has had. The uplift in terms of games and minutes is huge and would need to be managed. It’s not all that different from the likes of Engels' situation, where the physical load was something that he has had to adapt to. The uplift from his time at Augsburg to us was something that he, as a fit and healthy player, struggled with at times, and that’s not being negative; Rodgers himself said as much when talking about our recent signings. It’s not easy for any player to go from 1 game a week to 3 games a week. It takes its toll both mentally and physically.

The fact is that Tierney does have an injury history and has spent a lot of time on ice, so we need to factor in what he has done over the past few seasons, and both the manager, physios and sports science team will need to show some savvy. KT himself will also have to be honest with himself at times; he has always come across as a passionate lad who’ll put it all on the line, but there is also a bravery in being able to say, 'I need a wee rest.' His contract runs until 2030; it would be good to see him play a significant part during that, and maybe even beyond.

One huge advantage KT does have over many players who sign for us is that mentally he knows what it’s all about, and the training regime won’t be anything new. Mentally the game becomes tougher every year, more demands, more decisions to be made and the pressure at a team like ours never subsides for a second. Tierney has been ready for that from the moment he first walked onto the pitch to replace Izaguirre, and he is also in a position where he can help others around him if they need some advice on how to navigate what minefield.

The interesting thing and maybe the biggest positive about Tierney is that he comes back having added some extra bits to his game as well as looking physically stronger, especially in the upper body, and whether we like Lego or not, we have seen courtesy of the Arsenal documentary that he runs a tough training regime. We’ve also seen for Arsenal and Scotland that KT now has other roles in his locker. I’d be interested in seeing him on the left side of a back 3, I’m not so fussed about seeing him deployed as a left winger but it’s an option, Lego Man did at times for Arsenal, but again, it’s an extra option, and options are good.

This was a breakdown from Wyscout of his roles for Arsenal and Scotland during 2024/25:

3 games undefined (generally happens when the player has only been on for a couple of minutes)

1 game as a left central defender

9 games as left back

1 game at right back

1 game at left wingback

5 games as a left winger

No one can say exactly what his role will be from left back, pre-season will show us that. It will almost certainly be different from the role Greg Taylor played as a left back, and I fully expect that we will see 63 running up and down the line a lot more often than we have seen from our various left backs in recent times, likely with a winger ahead of him who likes to cut inside. Daizen, Balikwisha or someone else?

If we were to change things up and move to a back 3 then I would like to see us try it with Tierney, Carter Vickers and AJ. Both Tierney and AJ have performed those roles well for their national teams, and in many ways, I like the idea of having 3 players who are happy to take turns stepping out from a 3, also knowing that both Tierney and AJ are happy to go really high up the pitch and give us situations where we could have lots of opportunities to create overloads in midfield and in the final third.

In terms of the squad and the bigger picture, I just hope the club has a player in mind who will be ready to step in for him when needed. One who is capable of playing to the level we require, because even if KT does stay clear of injury, it would be madness to think that he can go from his numbers over the last 3 years to anywhere near the sort of numbers Cal has been putting out for us, especially when faced with the various plastic pitches, tattie fields and opponents who will want to leave a mark on him up here.

In conclusion, I’m happy to see Tierney home, he is a great player, a player who knows the script and what the demands are, and a player who will enter the dressing room as a leader who will likely get the captains armband at some point. He’s one of us, one of our own and that should never be under-estimated, so on that note I say welcome home Kieran Tierney.