Mikel Arteta has ruled out any potential exit for Arsenal’s Kieran Tierney, insisting that ‘he is not going anywhere’.
The young Scot joined our side from Celtic last summer, but missed much of the campaign due to injury, but is really beginning to shine in the first-team.
There had been rumours linking Leicester City with a move for his signature, with a view to linking up with former manager Brendan Rodgers as a replacement for Chelsea-linked Ben Chilwell, but Arteta is not considering such a sale.
“He is not going anywhere,” our head coach said ahead of the North London Derby. “I really like him. I am very impressed with him. Since I joined, just before he started to play games as well.
“Just how he was acting and working on his rehab. Everybody loves him at the club and it is not a coincidence: he earns that every single day, the way he treats people, the way he works around the way, the energy he brings to the place.
“And then with his performances I am delighted. He has adapted really, really well. He is a player that gives you everything in every session and every game and the quality as well that he is adding. He is still so young, there are still things to improve obviously, but he has been a great addition to the team.
“He had a really difficult period because of the injuries, because he moved to a different city, a different context that he had in Glasgow with a club that was winning all the time and where he was very settled. It was a challenge for him.
“He has been dealing with that in the best possible way, with some difficulties. He needed the club to support him, he needed his team-mates to make life easier for him. We are all trying to help him. You help him with pleasure because of what he brings, how willing he is all the time to work, improve and give his maximum to the team.
“Obviously it is a collective game and you need the right structure, the right people around you, the right players supporting you to play in his best position. We are learning where he feels more comfortable and how he can have a bigger impact on the team.
“It is a process we are in but he knew the league really really well and he knows the defences straight away, nobody had to explain that to him. He is just experiencing everything and I am delighted with him.”
Tierney has already settled quickly at the Emirates, and more will be expected from him in the coming years, and selling would not have been taken well by the club’s fans.
Keeping the likes of Kieran can only be positive news for the club as we look to become a force in the division once again, and I’m please by Arteta’s statement.
Will Tierney be a key player at Arsenal for a number of years? Was there any doubt that the club would consider his exit?
Patrick
If Arsenal sell Tierney there will be a revolution!
Sell Tesco ?
What a ridiculous thing to suggest !
Declan, Please explain that odd comment ? TESCO?
Two questions PATRICK(as usual!). Two answers are yes and no respectively
Tesco is his nickname I think. Tierney looks a solid well rounded player, but most importantly he seems consistent. He delivers a quality performance every time he takes the pitch.
He defends well and puts in dangerous crosses, something we’ve missed for a while. The young man is setting a fine standard for himself and hope he stays for the next decade
Thanks for the explanation, though I cannot think why he is called by a supermarket name. Durand, as usual you write sound sense, so your above comments are spot on once again.
Despite the ongoing and huge handicap of Kroenke, things arelooking far mnore hopeful now under Arteta andwith all the fine kids coming through. The only non fine kid, in Guendouzi, will not be here next season, thankfully. I will bet my house on that!
It’s because he turned up at a match with his things in a tesco carrier bag!!