For those who have been following Kieran Tierney’s journey know that his recent string of stellar performances are nothing out of the ordinary.

‘KT’, as he is otherwise known, has become a fan favourite due to his performances for The Gunners as of late, but has been consistently performing at an A grade level since joining in August 2019.

A gritty and determined character, Tierney also possess a touch of attacking quality- something the North London side have often lacked from full-backs in years gone by.

Having signed for £25million in 2019, Arsenal look to have picked up one of the fiercest fullbacks in the league- maybe even in the world- and a player in which is a dead cert to becoming a cornerstone of the side for seasons to come.

Tierney is a natural leader among men, captaining Celtic in Europe as well as national team Scotland before the age of 21 and as a result has been touted by ex-professionals, pundits and fans as ‘the next captain of Arsenal.’

  • The Bhoy

A lifelong Celtic fan, Tierney signed with his boyhood club aged seven where he idolised Hoops legend Shunsuke Nakamara. The Scottish international initially started out as a winger, which explains his pin-point crossing ability; however, as many do, he later transitioned into a defensive role, taking inspiration from Brazilian icon Roberto Carlos.

Tierney was handed his debut by Ronny Deila in the 2014-15 season where at 17 years and 305 days he became the ninth youngest player in history of the club to turn out for the Glasgow-based side.

The defender continued to be a mainstay in the team under new boss Brendan Rodgers and in total enjoyed a lengthy spell of success with The Hoops where he won four consecutive Scottish Premiership titles, two Scottish Cups and two Scottish League Cups, not forgetting the yearly EUFA Champions League outings.

 

  • Life in London

His tenure with the gunners began with an injury, but since then Tierney has bounced back and cemented himself as an integral part of the first team, winning the 2019-20 FA Cup in the process.

The 23-year-old displays great passion every time he steps onto the pitch and has been highly tipped to become captain of the club in the future, even by his own boss Mikel Arteta.

When asked about the possibility of Tierney becoming future captain, Arteta said: "I think he can be, because he has the respect and the admiration of every member of the staff and every player.”

"It's just the way he is, he does it in a natural way. He's a shy boy but I think he represents all of the values we want to install and that are in the DNA of this club.”

"He came here and it took him a while, he had a really bad injury... but he's a natural leader. You see how he behaves on that pitch, and when he talks he says the right thing and it's exactly what we're looking for."

 

The Spaniard’s comments come following what is arguably the Scotsman’s finest run of form at the club since his arrival, in which he’s racked up a goal and three assists in three games, complemented by an impeccable three clean sheets too.

Despite not wearing the armband on the pitch, Tierney is undoubtedly a clear leader and is proving to be the driving force in this new-look Arsenal side.

Gooners will no question hope that speculation of a switch to Napoli is nowhere in the thoughts of their beloved Scotsman and that is all it seems to be, speculation.

‘KT’ appears to be content with life in London and will be a pivotal piece in Arteta’s puzzle for years beyond now.