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Kieran Tierney tells reporters his Celtic nickname as he discusses Real Sociedad loan move
The Celtic favourite had fallen down the pecking order at Arsenal and will now play his football in La Liga.
Kieran Tierney has explained why he’s chosen to join Real Sociedad on loan from Arsenal.
Tierney left Celtic for the lure of the English Premier League in 2019 and immediately became a fan favourite in North London. However the 26-year-old left-back has gradually fallen down the pecking order under Mikel Arteta, with it eventually leading to him being ordered to train away from the Gunners first team over summer. That prompted transfer links to Newcastle plus a sensational return to Celtic but none of that options came to fruition.
He has subsequently been snapped up by Real Sociedad and opened up why San-Sebastian was the best destination. Speaking at his official unveiling on Wednesday, he said: “It was an easy decision to join Real Sociedad. I had other options, but I spoke with Martin Odegaard and he spoke very highly of the club and of his time while playing here.
“I like to work a lot, especially in defence, which is very important to keep a clean sheet. I have had experience in the Champions League and after training with this team I know that we will be up to the task to do well.”
The Spanish press also probed Tierney, who was accompanied by a translator, over how to pronounce his name correctly as the Scotland international laughed and admitted they could just use his nickname.
He replied: “You can pronounce it Kieran Tierney, but for short, you can call me KT.”
Tierney’s first game for Real Sociedad will see him come against Granada in league duty but his eyes will no doubt be on this week’s Champions League draw. Real Sociedad will feature in the group stage phase after a fourth-place La Liga finish in season 22/23.
He won four Scottish Premiership titles during his time at Celtic as well as two Scottish Cups and two League Cups prior to signing for Arsenal in 2019.
And he believes there’s some similarities between the culture in Glasgow to the Basque Country. He confessed: “There are some similarities between Scotland and the Basque Country. When I played for Celtic I always saw Ikurriñas in the matches.”