Kieran Tierney says he’s braced for a move away from Arsenal now that Mikel Arteta has so many options at left-back.
The Scotland international remains under contract at the Emirates until 2026 but is realistic about breathing new life into his Gunners career.
Having fallen down the pecking order at the start of last season, the 26-year-old took the decision to leave the club on loan and has enjoyed a fruitful spell in Spain with Real Sociedad.
While injuries have pockmarked Tierney’s time in La Liga, when he’s been fit, he’s played regularly at the Estadio de Anoeta, reminding people of his quality.
“There is every chance,” Tierney told The Athletic when asked if he will be sold by Arsenal at the end of the season.
“Look at the squad depth in that position now. They have [Oleksandr] Zinchenko, [Jurrien] Timber, [Takehiro] Tomiyasu, [Jakub] Kiwior. Four players can play there. So if I go back and it’s the same as before then I’m not silly, I know the chances are I’ll be leaving.”
While Tierney has spoken in the past about his struggle to replicate the way Zinchenko inverts into midfield, the fact Arsenal have become less reliant on the Ukrainian in their build-up play (and in general) has led some to question whether an orthodox left-back could be reintroduced by Arteta. During January and February, Jakub Kiwior’s performances in the position were noticeably more conventional.
Tierney is realistic about the prospect, citing the rarity with which loanees tend to be brought back into the fold.
“You never know in football. You get the rare case with [William] Saliba, where he came back after a couple of good seasons [at Nice and Marseille] but you don’t see it too often with someone who has played for four years, left, and then come back to play again.
“Stranger things have happened. I could go back and there is a place for me. So I’m prepared for both.”
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The full interview by The Athletic’s Jordan Campbell is well worth a read if you have a subscription – LINK
I’m a big Tierney fan when he’s fit. Hard-working, committed and no-nonsense type of player, and much better defensively than Zinchenko. Problem is, he’s too injury-prone to be first choice, and that injury record hasn’t improved in the sunshine and more relaxed-pace of La Liga. Such a shame though.
I keep forgetting that Tierney, Lokonga, Tavares and Marquinhos are all still on our books.
We should get about £30m for the lot of them?
We’ll be lucky to get £10, as we still have such a bad reputation for selling
£10 Million, not £10 bob
What’s a ten quid bob?
Sponge Bob’s lesser known cousin.
Arsenal should say NO for anything under £45m for Tierny alone.
You’re dreaming in technicolour man.
this guy must be a Nigerian with that expression “you are dreaming in technicolor man”
hahahahahahahah!!!!
Tierney can make Liverpool, Man U or Chelsea stronger.
Transfermarket has him valued at 10 million, just as a point of reference. He is the lowest of our loan players value on there.
I think so, if we do a good job selling for once should be able to get 18m for Sambi, 10-12m for Tierney, 5m for Tavares and two and half bags of pistachios for Marquinhos so that should make around £30mil all together.
Top lad that he is, Miki demands at LB is more than a defender, which he is solid in that respect but his technical abilities in forward positions has been his failure, unlike our RB who can overlap, play short balls, keep possession in tight spaces, get in to forward areas and track back at speed, sadly the Swizz knife of ability Benny has, Tierney hasn’t had enough, legging it down the wing to hit a hopeful ball might work in other leagues but not PL where possession is the key, I hope he finds the club to express his… Read more »
He was a big step up when he first came in. A defender who could defend, seems obvious now but the state we were in at the time he was a breath of fresh air. He was an important part of the journey, but with his injuries and our upward progression his time has passed.
Made us better, gave his all. Good luck to him.
He was the right player at the right time. Now is no longer the right time… same could be said for Zinchenko last season. I really think Timber could be the answer there and should it take him time to regain his health and fitness you couldn’t ask for a better placeholder than Tomi, or a better 3rd option than Kiwi. I love Zinchenko but it feels like Arteta’s lost his trust a bit in him the same way it happened with Tierney, so maybe time to try and recoup some of their fees.
I hope we get a good fee for him
Man, that Tesco bag is getting a good work out with all this travel and moving house…
If he wasn’t so injury prone, I’d definitely keep him and sell Zinchenko
It’s crazy how many don’t realize just how easily Zinchenko can slot into midfield if required. That’s a fantastic quality to have. One that Arteta really rates. Players who can play multiple positions. Also, I think Zinny is my preferred LB after Timber. I’ve read the exaggerations about losing the ball in possession. Read the claims he can’t defend when the stats show that he has markedly improved in that area this season. The thing is, Zinny’s mistake usually arise from “over confidence.” When it works out, we tend to look magnificent and do magnificent things. He’s a magnificent player… Read more »
I’ve always liked Tierney (what Arsenal supporter hasn’t), but the fact that the team have outgrown him is pretty clear. His discomfort with playing as a Zinchenko-style inverted fullback is really just an example of his *relative* lack of technical skill. I stress “relative” because I think he is good enough to play in the Prem–but not for Arsenal. To see what I mean, don’t compare his comfort on the ball or his ability to find the right pass with the unicorn Zinchenko–compare him to Ben White on the other side. Is that unfair, because Ben White is so good?… Read more »
Well spotted, I think a left sided Ben White is probably just what Mikel was hoping to see from Jurrien Timber, except Timber is even more dynamic. The Ajax lad Hato who we are linked with is like a Timber Jr., so if those rumors are true then that solidifies the thinking that he wants the FB position to be a CB/CM hybrid. Besides outgrowing Tierney, I wonder if we’ve also outgrown Zinchenko too. Since the arrival of Jorginho we’ve had another buildup artist in the squad. Not just that but we’ve discovered dropping Odegaard deep (and leftward) is a… Read more »
Makes me a little sad. You see he’d like to come back and I think we all love him. Just not meant to be.
I will miss the wee lad, a breath of much needed fresh air when he arrived. Such a shame with his injuries.
Who knows. Things change. Keown was deemed surplus to requirements in the 1980s but returned from Villa in the 90s
True. But the Keown of the 80’s had a penchant for scoring own goals 😬
Hitherto regular players falling by the wayside or becoming fringe players is a sure sign the team is getting better.
It is a great shame about his injuries as his attitude is spot on. I can imagine him being well up for a title race. Sad but good luck to him whatever his future holds
He doesn’t suit Mikel’s style. Even if he was not injury prone we should still sell him and recoup at least some money
Shame fine player, been very unlucky with injuries. A
much better fullback than Zinny. I will be sad to see him go.
A better traditional fullback. Not a better player though.
I’m trying to think of a scenario where Arteta would prefer an attack minded overlapping, touch line hugging LB to his other options. Maybe when we’re trailing and he wants more dynamism from deep areas? But is LB really where you make a change when you’re chasing a goal? How often would we actually use him in that capacity and how effective would he be? Now that we have Havertz and Rice, at least he would have someone to aim for. Tierney is probably one of the best crossers on the team, and that has value. The issue is that… Read more »
I think Steve Clarke played a big part in the decline of Tierney, playing him in lots of meaningless friendlies knowing fine well he was injury prone.
KT was our only weapon for a while. I love him and Mikel certainly knows how to use him. Seems that Mikel philosophy and tactical play is explained so well to all the players including fringe. Everyone knows what they need to do to achieve the TEAM goal, rather than be focused on the individual.
Quite refreshing to be honest