Kieran Tierney already looks like a £25m bargain.After an injury-laden start to his Arsenal career, the Scotsman has come into his own in recent weeks after the Premier League's restart back in June.The no-nonsense defender has been a revelation for the Gunners of late and played a starring role against Chelsea in the FA Cup final yesterday evening.Operating as a third centre-back, Tierney was far and away the best defender on the pitch and even played the pass to set Pierre-Emeirck Aubameyang away before he was fouled by Cesar Azpilicueta in the area.Without the 23-year-old Scotsman in defence, you can bet your bottom dollar that Chelsea's attack would have had far more joy at Wembley.
Luckily for Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, Tierney will be at the Emirates for the foreseeable future and victory in the FA Cup final secured the 12th trophy of the defender's young career.
Amazingly, that now means the former Celtic left-back average a trophy every 16.2 games, with his 12 triumphs coming in just 194 appearances.
Absolutely incredible. After the victory over Chelsea, Tierney reflected on what he referred to as 'the toughest year of his life' after leaving his boyhood club last summer.
He said, per Mirror: “It’s been so high and so low at different times but everyone at the club and the fans have been brilliant with me since I came in and this one is for them.
“It’s brilliant. It’s been the toughest year of my life and I couldn’t have picked a better ending for the season and there’s so many people I want to thank my family, my friends and the manager for putting his trust in me and I shared a moment with him at the end.
“The manager has had a big impact on this squad. We’re building something, going somewhere and we’re improving.
"This is a process and we will have some bad results and ups and downs but we all trust in this process 110 per cent.
“The best is yet to come from the team. We’re building something here. I’ve been saying that after lockdown. After the Man City defeat, we’ve made progress. People can see we’re building something and getting somewhere.
“There’s no better feeling that winning trophies. It’s been a rollercoaster here but to finish it like this is just brilliant.”
There's a reason Arteta loves the Scotsman, a future Arsenal legend in the making.