Kieran Tierney joined the Gunners in 2019 and has always been a regular at the team, even though he always had his usual injury layoffs that sidelined him for months and months, leaving the club to use his deputies to hold the fort, or that failed experiment of Xhaka in the left back slot that saw us exposed in midfield. Last season, he has been rather fortunate with injuries and had an extended run with first team football when Zinchenko struggled with some muscular issues, but the manager’s tactics ensures that when both men are fit in the Premier League, Zinchenko will be the one that gets the nod.
Zinchenko’s arrival revolutionized how Arsenal builds from the back, and his inverting style made him indispensable to the side. In Zinchenko’s absence this season, Arteta experimented with Jurrien Timber inverting, and from the first two fixtures of the Premier League, Thomas Partey inverted from the right, which clearly indicated that the inverting fullback has become a fabric of the Arsenal system.
With Tierney falling down the pecking order despite being a player of immense quality, Arteta has tried to keep him happy by featuring him in the other tournaments Arsenal has competed last season, with Tierney playing and starting all six Europa League matches, scoring a goal against Zurich, as well as starts in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup. However, he has started only six Premier League games in the last campaign, coming on as a substitute in 21 other games.
One would imagine that Tierney would not be content playing second fiddle to Zinchenko in the Premier League and with 12 months left on his contract, Arsenal might be at crossroads with him this summer, if the Scottish lad agitates for pastures anew. I’m very grateful with the quality has this season, and having Tierney and Zinchenko vying for the same spot in the team can only bode well for both players. Arteta can also deploy Takehiro Tomiyasu and Jakub Kiwior there.
Prior to his ACL injury, Timber played on the left side of the defense with Partey inverting and he was hugely impressive, which made his injury layoff all the more painful. Tomiyasu featured as a substitute for Timber in the win over Nottingham Forest and started the Crystal Palace game in the same position, but he was on the end of a questionable refereeing decision that would see him miss the clash with Fulham courtesy of a suspension.
With Timber and Tomiyasu unavailable for selection, as well as Gabriel, that has missed the last two matches, I had hoped that Tierney would be in contention for selection, but I wasn’t surprised to see that Tierney has been linked with a move to Real Sociedad that could see him join the club permanently after the conclusion of his loan spell. Tierney was heavily linked with a move to Newcastle United but the Magpies opted for Chelsea’s emerging youngster, Lewis Hall, in a deal reported to be around £35m.
Seeing Tierney move to Real Sociedad on loan somewhat saddens me because he has always been a dedicated professional, a quality player and offered Arsenal good depth in the defensive department, but I can understand him leaving because the squad’s style of play have evolved over him. At 26, he has his best years ahead of him and if he can find it at Sociedad while Arsenal makes some money off it, so be it.
For a player that was touted as a future Arsenal captain, its truly the end of the road, as he’s about to start an adventure in the La Liga sunshine and I hope he enjoys his football in the club. Real Sociedad is currently in the UEFA Champions League after an impressive fourth place finish in La Liga last season, so the potential for Tierney to feature against Arsenal in the competition will be a juicy prospect.
With just a few days left before the transfer window permanently closes, Edu Gaspar and his team will want to get this over the line.
Sayonara, Kieran Tierney.
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