Kieran Tierney’s Arsenal future is up in the air (Picture: Getty)
Kieran Tierney says he feels enormous gratitude towards Arsenal but is unsure what the future holds after being ousted from Mikel Arteta’s side by Oleksandr Zinchenko.
The left-back quickly established himself as a popular figure among Arsenal’s fanbase after completing a £25million switch from Celtic with big expectations on his shoulders back in 2019.
However, a series of injury problems hampered Tierney’s progress in north London and the 26-year-old was sent on loan to Real Sociedad last August, with Arteta unable to guarantee the Scotland international regular game-time in the Premier League.
Zinchenko, who followed Arteta from Manchester City to the Emirates in 2022, has made the position his own and the Ukrainian’s ability to slot into the midfield has been central in Arsenal’s development under Arteta over the last two seasons.
Speaking to The Daily Mail, Tierney said it was ‘hard to question’ Arteta’s preference for Zinchenko considering the way Arteta likes to set up his side with inverted full-backs.
‘At Arsenal the left-back can be one of the most central players in the team,’ Tierney told The Daily Mail.
‘If it’s Oleksandr Zinchenko then he is one of the biggest creators from a central position.
Zinchenko has overtaken Tierney in the pecking order at Arsenal (Picture: Getty)
‘When that got introduced it was alien to me. I had never played centre midfield, I started as a winger. I was trying to learn that when I was at Arsenal.
‘When you see how well it works it is hard to question it. My choice was to just get on with it and learn and I got to practice it with one of the best.
‘It’s so natural to Zinchenko, he makes it look so easy.’
The Scotland left-back lost his place after a series of injuries (Picture: Getty)
Though Tierney is tied into a contract with the Gunners until 2026, it appears the Scotland defender may have played his final game for the club.
Asked if he sees a future at Arsenal, Tierney replied: ‘It’s hard to say. I loved my time there and I still have two years on the contract.
‘I am very grateful to Arsenal. I don’t know what’s going to happen but I am absolutely loving it here [at Real Sociedad].
‘I feel I have adapted quite well and I hope I can return the faith the club have shown. This is a very, very talented squad with world-class players and so many have come from the academy. It’s an amazing story.
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‘Coming here was easier than going to London, and that’s not having a dig at Arsenal because they helped me massively.
‘Without the people at the club it would have been 10 times harder to adapt, but I was four years younger and moving from Scotland, it didn’t matter where I went, that was going to be the hardest part.
‘It’s an amazing thing to go to play for Arsenal but you still have your hurdles to overcome.
‘Then a couple of months later Covid hits and you don’t get to see anyone for months. The people at Arsenal were all amazing.’
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