Celtic are reportedly closing in on their first signing of the January transfer window as they look to reunite Brendan Rodgers with one of his former stars.
It has been claimed that Arsenal full-back Kieran Tierney is set to re-join the club on an initial loan move until the end of the season, before signing permanently on a free transfer.
The Scotland international is out of contract in the summer and is reportedly preparing to complete a short-term move to Parkhead, that will then become a permanent transfer upon the expiry of his deal with the Premier League side.
Tierney could come in as a fantastic addition to the squad ahead of the second half of the campaign, as he has already played under Rodgers at Celtic.
Why Kieran Tierney would be a fantastic signing
The Scottish gem started his career with the Hoops, after coming through the academy system, and already knows what it takes to perform under the pressure of the Parkhead crowd.
His 127 competitive appearances for Celtic under Rodgers also suggest that he would not need much time to adapt to the manager’s style of play and system, given his experience with the Northern Irishman.
Tierney assisted 37 goals in 170 matches for the club in all competitions during his time in Glasgow, which suggests that he could come in to offer more than Greg Taylor in the final third, as the current Hoops man has assisted 30 strikes in 198 appearances for the Bhoys.
To get the best of the Arsenal outcast’s creative quality, Rodgers could sign another one of the club’s reported targets to partner him down the left flank – Carney Chukwuemeka.
Celtic are reportedly interested in a deal to bring the England U21 international to Parkhead on loan from Chelsea for the second half of the 2024/25 campaign.
Why Carney Chukwuemeka would be a dream for Kieran Tierney
The Premier League gem has played the majority of his career as an attacking or central midfielder but has also played on the left flank a couple of times, which is where he could thrive for Celtic.
Chukwuemeka is a right-footed attack-minded midfielder and he could play off the left as an inside forward, due to to his fantastic ball-carrying skills and ability to cut inside to create space on the overlap for Tierney to bomb on.
Villa insider Charlie Jennings once described the young starlet’s style of play, telling Sempre Milan: “Carney is an outstanding ball carrier from deep areas of the midfield. He is known for marauding, mind-boggling dribbles through tight areas and compliments this with a delightful array of passes.”
These comments suggest that Chukwuemeka has the attributes to thrive on the wing, because he can pick the ball up from deep and drive past opposition players to get Celtic up the pitch, whilst drawing attention from defenders to create gaps on the flank for Tierney to exploit.
Villa U18s
26
10
8
Villa U21s
29
3
5
England U19s
13
6
0
Villa first-team
16
0
1
Chelsea first-team
32
2
1
As you can see in the table above, the Hoops target is yet to burst onto the scene at first-team level but has shown plenty of quality for England and Villa at youth level in the past.
This suggests that the potential is there for him to provide goals and assists in an attacking midfield or wide position, to go along with his ability as a ball carrier.
Rodgers could take a gamble on Chukwuemeka and unleash him in a new role on the left to be a dream signing for Tierney, who could thrive alongside the Englishman in the second half of the season if Celtic can get deals over the line for both of them this month.
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