Exit, what exit?
The belief was, and may well be still is, Kieran Tierney's time as an Arsenal player was coming to an end. However, events in recent days suggest his four-year stay with the Gunners might have a while to run yet. Clue one was a report over a shift in Mikel Arteta's philosophy which could see a 3-5-2 utilised to get the most out of his revamped midfield, it will be spearheaded by incoming Chelsea misfit Kai Havertz as a No.10.
If, and it's a sizeable if as the current four at the back feels entrenched, then it would likely change the value of Tierney to his current employers. The £25m man is a proper left-back but his value skyrockets in his favoured position as the left-sided central defender in a back three. It's where he thrives for the Scotland national team after all.
And that leads us to the picture which has Arsenal fan wondering. Tierney is currently front and centre of the club's banner image on Twitter with Takehiro Tomiyasu and Martin Odegaard flanking him. If it was other club it may be viewed as an oversight, however, the knock on the Gunners until their recent upturn in form was they were a fashion brand who also played football. Every decision made by their sizeable media team is curated and thought out. Having Tierney as the first player their £21.7million followers on the social media platform is no accident.
And lastly to Newcastle. Eddie Howe's search for a new left back doesn't appear to stop at the 26-year-old. Marc Cucurella and Antonee Robinson have been linked. as well as the former Celtic hero. But, perhaps, Tierney sold over an Arsenal shift in style would consider remaining in situ with Champions League football returning to the Emirates for the first time in six years - a remarkable statistic for a team who were tournament regulars under Arsene Wenger.
And Tierney's standing among club icons remains high. Former Invincible Gilberto SIlva reckons the battle between Tierney and left-back rival Oleksandr Zinchenko is the type of fight for minutes which should be taking place across the starting XI. Silva, speaking to Neu Online Casinos, said: “Normally, you see this sort of price for strikers, not central midfielders. It feels quite high. Before [Mikel] Arteta thinks about which players he can bring into his team, he needs to consider if he’s going to lose players.
“However, I am thinking maybe another centre-back to keep them fresh for next season after they lost William Saliba. He [Arteta] needs two players like [Kieran] Tierney and [Oleksandr] Zinchenko fighting for the same position so that it raises the standards.”
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