Kieran Tierney has admitted his Arsenal career is likely to be over, saying he looks set to leave this summer.
The left-back arrived in north London from Celtic in the summer of 2019 and made 124 appearances for the club during four seasons at the Emirates Stadium.
2
But Mikel Arteta has rebuilt the Gunners' squad since then with Tierney falling out of favour with the Premier League title contenders.
After struggling with persistent injuries, Arsenal signed Oleksandr Zinchenko from Man City in 2022, with Tierney playing second fiddle at left-back for much of that season.
A decision was then made last summer to allow the 26-year-old to join Spanish side Real Sociedad on a season-long loan - a move that has been hampered by a hamstring injury.
While Tierney has made 22 appearances for the club, the Scotland international admits it could be a big summer for him as he discusses the prospect of leaving north London for good.
READ MORE ON ARSENAL
Asked about a potential return to Arsenal, Tierney told The Athletic: "There is every chance.
"Look at the squad depth in that position now. They have [Oleksandr] Zinchenko, [Jurrien] Timber, [Takehiro] Tomiyasu, [Jakub] Kiwior. Four players can play there.
"So if I go back and it’s the same as before then I’m not silly, I know the chances are I’ll be leaving.
“But you never know in football. You get the rare case with [William] Saliba, where he came back after a couple of good seasons [out on loan] but you don’t see it too often with someone who has played for four years, left, and then come back to play again.
2
“Stranger things have happened. I could go back and there is a place for me. So I’m prepared for both.”
Discussing his fall from grace when Arteta signed Zinchenko, Tierney said: “There are no hard feelings or spite from me.
Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka gives hilarious reactions food on LadBible Snack Wars
"I understand the decision of the manager to change me from No. 1 to No 2. It’s football.
“It never happened in a personal way. It was tactical. He thought it was best to get Arsenal results — and he was 100 per cent correct, when you look at it.
"They were close to winning the league last year, and this year I think they’ll do it.
“The Arsenal fans are amazing. Whenever I post, or Sociedad post, there are still fans saying, ‘We wish you were here’.
Most read in Football
"It makes me happy, as they could easily just forget about me because I’m not there anymore.”