Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta paid a special tribute to Kieran Tierney following the Scotsman's final goal for the Gunners on his final appearance against Southampton.
Arteta's side made absolutely sure of a second-placed finish in the Premier League table by sinking the Saints 2-1 at St Mary's, where Tierney started a top-flight game for just the second time this season.
The 27-year-old found himself in an unfamiliar centre-back role due to the absence of Riccardo Calafiori, partnering Ben White in an experimental starting XI from his manager.
However, Tierney swapped a centre-back role for a centre-forward's spot towards the end of the first half, getting on the end of White's cross and firing home a delightful first-time finish.
The Scotland international struggled to contain his emotions as he wheeled away in celebration, having scored his sixth and final goal for Arsenal on his 144th appearance, and his first strike since November 2022.
Arteta reveals Tierney premonition before Southampton strike
© Imago
Tierney will now rejoin Celtic on a free transfer, having signed a pre-contract agreement with the Hoops back in January, and Arteta revealed that the left-back had a premonition of him scoring on his farewell appearance.
"He said yesterday 'I'm going to score' and he's done it," Arteta told the media at full time. "A special thank you to him. He's been part of this journey and he's won with me. A really special character and we wish him the best. The doors of this club are open for him."
Tierney is one of the few surviving members of Unai Emery's reign at Arsenal, having joined in a £25m transfer in 2019 and immediately becoming a fan favourite thanks to his tenacious performances on the left-hand side.
However, injuries cruelly stalled Tierney's development in North London, and the arrival of Oleksandr Zinchenko in 2022 also signalled Arteta's shift from an overlapping left-back to an inverted option.
As Calafiori and Myles Lewis-Skelly will be battling for that position next season, Tierney is now surplus to requirements in North London, where a few exits will also coincide with a few arrivals.
Arteta: 'Arsenal will make subtle decisions in transfer market'
© Imago
Following Tierney's opening goal, Southampton levelled matters through Ross Stewart, who rose highest to nod in a Mateus Fernandes corner as Arsenal were undone from a set-piece once again.
However, the Gunners were indebted to their captain at the death, as Martin Odegaard came off the bench to rifle home a brilliant long-range winner, which Arteta watched from the stands due to a touchline ban.
Arsenal co-chairman Josh Kroenke was alongside the Spaniard in the director's box and will oversee the club's transfer operations this summer, which for Arteta will involve "subtle" decisions.
"Josh [Kroenke] has been very clear in the direction and ambition we have. We're going to try and see what we can do, make very subtle decisions, and respect what has taken us this far," he told BBC Match of the Day.
"There's not much improvement. We've finished second three times, reached the Champions League semi-finals. There's that little percentage we need to nail."
As well as Tierney, Jorginho is also set to leave for Brazilian giants Flamengo, while Zinchenko, Jakub Kiwior and Thomas Partey's futures are not set in stone ahead of the start of next season.
Ben Knapton
