Arteta responds to Tierney after he speaks out on Arsenal transfer rumours
Mikel Arteta has publicly told Kieran Tierney that the left-back remains part of his Arsenal plans moving forward despite speculation linking him with the Emirates exit.
The Gunners defender had been widely tipped to leave North London this summer, with Newcastle's interest well-documented and a return to boyhood club Celtic also mooted. However, Tierney recently came out and declared he was ready to stay and fight for his place in an Arsenal side aiming to land their first league title since 2004.
He certainly has quite the battle on his hands, given it looks as if Tierney is now fourth in the pecking order of his position, despite being the only traditional left-back at the club. All three of Oleksandr Zinchenko, Jakub Kiwior and Takehiro Tomiyasu seem more likely to get game-time than Tierney next term, however, the Scotland international is firm in his stance that he wants to stay put.
It's not really up to me (my future)," Tierney confessed via the Athletic, having played 45 minutes of Saturday's 2-0 pre-season friendly defeat to Manchester United. "I'm happy, I'm working hard every day and getting minutes. I'm just trying to do as well as I can." Asked if he'd held conversations with Arteta regarding his future, the 26-year-old replied: "No.
"You can't play every single game, every single season, every single year. I don't expect that and I still made a lot of appearances last year. I was ready every game and working 100 per cent. I think everyone in there would agree with that, that I never give less than that whether I'm playing or not."
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Arteta clearly agrees with Tierney's sentiment, as he has publicly confirmed he sees the Scot in Arsenal's near future.
Mikel Arteta has made clear Kieran Tierney is part of his plans moving forward (Getty Images)Mirror Football is now on Threads! You can follow us here.
Speaking ahead of the Gunners' upcoming pre-season friendly against Spanish giants FC Barcelona at SoFi Stadium, the Arsenal boss explained: "He is, he is in our plans, and as you said, he came on really well (on Saturday).
"It's not the first time, every time he's played in pre-season, he's been really good. This is why we want to create competition in the team, raise the level of each individual and that's going to be a huge benefit for the team to get to another level."
Some may feel that Tierney's days at the Emirates are numbered regardless of whatever he tells the media. The fact that Arteta has often favoured deploying Tomiyasu, traditionally a right-back, in the left-back role ahead of the former Celtic man is particularly damning.
Just how much Arteta values Tierney will become clearer in the coming weeks and months as the opening exchanges of the new league season take shape.
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