Celtic insist they did all the could to keep hold of Kieran Tierney - but in the end the player's desire to test himself in the Premier League saw the Scottish record transfer go through.
The left-back completed his move to Arsenal on Thursday, beating the 5pm English deadline after travelling south for a medical.
Arsenal had two bids for the Scotland international rejected by the Hoops earlier in the window but a £25million deal was struck on Wednesday night bringing the long-running saga to an end.
Tierney came through the Celtic academy system and went on to make 170 appearances for the Hoops in five seasons, playing a major part in their run to the treble Treble.
But the 22-year-old has brought an end to his time at Parkhead and Celtic have released a statement explaining why they reluctantly agreed to sell the fans' favourite.
The statement read:
Celtic Football Club today confirmed that Kieran Tierney has signed for Arsenal FC, after completing a medical earlier in London.
We did all we could to keep Kieran at Celtic. While the club did not need or wish to sell Kieran, this was an opportunity which Kieran very much wished to pursue and with the club having received a significant offer, we have agreed to the transfer.
Kieran has been a big part of the club for a number of years, coming through our Academy structure and becoming a key first team player of real quality.
He has made a significant contribution to Celtic and we thank him very much for all he has given to the club and, of course, we wish him very well for the future in his career.
Celtic manager Neil Lennon said: “This is an opportunity Kieran wanted to take and while we will be sad to see him leave the club, we wish Kieran all the very best for the future.
“Although he is still a young guy, Kieran has given the club so much. He’s a great lad and I’ve really enjoyed working with him. I’m sure he will continue to progress and develop and make a big impact in the English Premier League.
“It has obviously been a long process, but now it has been finalised we can now look ahead and concentrate on continuing to build our own squad and meet the many challenges ahead, domestically and in Europe.
“We had a really good performance and result last night at a difficult venue and I would like to thank our fans for travelling to Romania and supporting us so well. Yet again, the team had such great support in Europe and we are hugely grateful for that.
“We look ahead to next week with confidence but of course realise we still have a lot of work to do against a very good team.”
