ARSENAL remain in the hunt for Kieran Tierney after having two bids for the Celtic star rejected.
They still hope to conclude a deal for the Hoops and Scotland defender before the summer transfer window for Premier League clubs closes at 5pm next Thursday.
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We told earlier how giddy Gunners fans reckon Tierney’s arrival is imminent after he was pictured ‘copying’ £72million signing Nicolas Pepe’s trademark celebration.
But Arsenal legend Nigel Winterburn today questioned whether or not the Celts ace could make the step up to England’s top flight.
SunSport details five reasons why Tierney would be a brilliant signing for the London giants.
1 – The Celtic hero is an outstanding talent
He’s got three PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year awards and a treble Treble to his name already.
The 22 year old has played left-back, centre-back, left wing-back and even filled in at right-back for Scotland.
But crucially, people within the game reckon he’s top drawer, including his former Celts and Scotland gaffers Brendan Rodgers and Gordon Strachan.
In April, ex-Hoops and Aston Villa star Stiliyan Petrov also said: “He has the potential to go on and be world-class, I honestly believe that.
“He could go to a Manchester United or any other top level club because he has been brought up to play under pressure.”
Former Burnley boss Owen Coyle says he could play in any EPL side while team-mate James Forrest thinks he’s up there with Barcelona’s Jordi Alba.
Emilio Izaguirre – the man whose place Tierney took in the Hoops first-team – claims the Scot can become the world’s best left-back.
Celts idol Shunsuke Nakamura famously spotted his potential a decade ago after a schoolboy KT caught the eye of the Japanese magician when he trained at Parkhead.
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2 – He takes no prisoners in the tackle
Tierney enjoys defending and loves flying into challenges.
His approach is hard but fair. For club and country, he’s never been sent off and has only been booked 12 times since his senior debut in 2015.
In 2016, his Hoops captain and close friend Scott Brown had fans in stitches with his assessment of KT’s game.
He said: “I love the wee man, he’s as hard as nails.
“He’d tackle his granny and he’d go into any situation and thrive just because of his attitude.
“He’s a born winner, a born leader and he’s a great young lad to come through at Celtic.”
Very few wingers have given Tierney the runaround, although he admits PSG superstar Kylian Mbappe was a nightmare to play against in the Champions League.
Citing the World Cup winner as his toughest opponent, he says: “His pace is unbelievable.
“Over in Paris, it was knackering chasing him.
“There was one point where he just took off – and nobody was catching him.
“He’s probably the fastest – and hardest – one I’ve ever played against.”
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3 – His team-mates love him
He’s Scott Brown’s Hoops protege and midfielder Callum McGregor says Tierney is his best friend in the Celtic squad.
The defender struck up a famous bromance with Norwich new boy Patrick Roberts during his two-and-a-half year loan from Man City.
Then there’s THAT hilarious exchange with Israel international Nir Bitton.
As Bitton returned to Celts training, a video captured Tierney saying to his pal: “S’happnin’ Bitton!”
The ‘catchphrase’ became an online sensation and a huge hit with Hoops fans.
4 – Money hasn’t changed him
Tierney – who signed a bumper six-year deal in 2017 – is a level-headed lad who’s been living the dream at Parkhead with his boyhood heroes.
He likes a laugh with his team-mates but you won’t catch him doing a ‘Beans, beans, beans’ routine like Jesse Lingard or sitting on top of a Lamborghini – a la James Maddison – telling fans: “This is my flow #NewLevels”.
Last month his agent Allan Preston, a defender for Hearts and St Johnstone in his playing days, gave fans an insight into his character during a BBC Sportsound radio interview.
He said: “I know Kieran really well, I had some food with him the other day.
“He is such an unassuming young man.
“He is wealthy at the moment but he doesn’t possess a watch because he isn’t into material things like this.
“He still hangs about with his pals from when he was a youngster, he sponsors his local pub team where his pals play and he’s not into his designer gear or anything like that.”
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5 – His commitment knows no bounds
The defender loves Celtic and in January 2018 he went the extra mile…
He surprised Bhoys supporters at a bar in Tenerife wearing a retro Hoops top before posing for pictures with fans and signing autographs.
Tierney later said he’d asked for the jersey for Christmas.
He said: “It was the CR Smith centenary year strip. That was the only thing I could think of.
“Before Christmas they always bring stuff in from people for you to sign. I saw this T-shirt and thought, ‘This one is a belter’.
“So I tried it on and said, ‘Right, get me one of them for Christmas’.
“I got a bit of slagging for it but do people not know I’m a Celtic fan?”
Incredibly, his dad Michael predicted his son’s meteoric rise after one of the club’s worst ever defeats.
Footage surfaced of Michael and a young Kieran being interviewed after Ross County stunned the Hoops in the 2010 Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden.
And the defender’s old man doesn’t hold back when asked about the shock result – calling for the whole team to be axed.
Tierney, just 12 at the time, and his friends can be seen laughing in the background.
Michael said: “By the way it’s the worst Celtic team I’ve seen in my life.
“This [pointing to Kieran] is the future in front of us.”
