Could “old school” Kieran Tierney leave the Gunners this summer?

With the arrival of Alex Zinchenko last summer, Kieran Tierney has spent more time on the bench than on the pitch. The Scotsman has started 13 of Arsenal’s 29 matches this season.

Why, you ask?

Well, from what we can gather as outside observers, Zinchenko offers more of a midfield threat than KT. The Ukrainian is willing to drift more central to provide ball movement and to feed Gabriel Martinelli on the left flank. Tierney is more of the “old school” type fullback who sprints up the left sideline to push crosses through the box, then retreats to defend his flank on the defensive third.

That doesn’t mean Tierney is not an equal to Zinchenko, it just means Zinchenko is better suited for Mikel Arteta’s tactics.

Tierney came to Arsenal in 2019 from his boyhood club, Celtic. Since his signing with the Gunners, he has made 80 appearances, and scored 3 goals. Also, do you remember when Tierney was mentioned as a potential future Arsenal captain?

However, KT has been injury-prone. Tierney missed a lot of the 2019-2020 season following double hernia surgery, then he dislocated a shoulder late in the 2020 season. Last season a severe knee injury kept him sidelines for a large chunk of the season as well.

Tierney is definitely a throwback type of player. He wears his hair short, his shirt tucked in, his kit is usually the dirtiest at the end of the match, plus he refuses to wear warm weather gear during training. He is an excellent crosser of the ball, and a first-class defender.

Unfortunately for KT, it looks like  Zinchenko has nailed down the left fullback spot on Arteta’s starting XI sheet, and with that said, Tierney is rumored to be possibly leaving the club this summer, with Newcastle United showing a lot of early interest.

I would hate to see him leave north London, however, a player of his quality needs to be playing regular football. If he ends up with a Premier League rival, than so be it. But, until then, he remains a Gunner, and is always ready to step in when his number is called.

Cheers.

Gunner1953