‘YOU CAN LEAVE NOW’: Mikel Arteta FINALLY opens the door for Sir Alex Ferguson’s favourite Arsenal star to leave
Former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson has made no secret of his admiration for Kieran Tierney, but the Arsenal defender could be in line for a summer exit after a difficult season in north London.
Scotland defender Tierney was one of Unai Emery’s final signings as Arsenal manager, joining in a £25million move from Celtic in 2019. The 25-year-old has racked up more than 100 appearances in Gunners colours, but his opportunities have been limited since the summer arrival of Oleksandr Zinchenko.
Tierney was linked with a move away last summer, with Manchester City among those reportedly in the mix. A run of games outside the starting line-up has seen rumours gather pace once more, and Mikel Arteta could find himself letting the former Bhoys star move on.
That is despite Ferguson giving Tierney a glowing review back in 2021. “I do think Scotland have some very good midfield players, and I’m not sure how they’re gonna play [Andy] Robertson and Tierney in the same team,” the legendary former manager said in a Lockdown Theatre Live discussion.
“I know there were some situations where they played Tierney as the third centre-back, but the form of Tierney since he’s gone to Arsenal has been phenomenal.”
Tierney was a shining light in Arteta’s first half-season at the helm, scoring his first Arsenal goal in a 2020 victory over Watford and playing in the quarters, semis and final as the Gunners won the FA Cup. Since then, though, injuries have been a concern.
Just four of Tierney’s 16 league appearances this season have come from the start. He has featured more regularly in cup competitions, starting all six Europa League group games, while his two FA Cup starts were his longest run-outs in 2023.
His last league start came on Boxing Day in the victory over West Ham, with Zinchenko replacing him for the final 17 minutes. The Ukrainian has started all eight of the games since, completing 90 minutes in six of them, and scored his first Arsenal goal in Saturday’s victory over Aston Villa.
“It took him [Zinchenko] too long [to score],” manager Arteta said with a smile when reflecting on the victory in a BT Sport interview. “He’s been practising on that and I’m so happy for him because obviously he had a difficult action with the first goal when he gave the ball away but he reacted really well.”
The victory for Arsenal at Villa Park, coupled with Manchester City’s 1-1 draw away at Nottingham Forest, meant the London side returned to the top of the Premier League table on Saturday. Next up for Arteta’s side is a trip to Leicester followed by a home meeting with an Everton side who beat them 1-0 at Goodison Park in early February.
