Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta appears to be willing to let Kieran Tierney leave the Gunners in the summer amid interest from fellow Premier League outfit Newcastle.
Tierney's departure from the Emirates would have seemed unfathomable just a couple of years ago, when the Scotland international was one of the most important players in Arteta's system. However, the arrival of Oleksandr Zinchenko last summer has rendered the former Celtic man somewhat redundant at the Emirates this season.
Tierney's time at Arsenal has been littered with injuries and he has made just 113 appearances since his summer switch back in 2019. While he has featured 17 times in the league this term, Tierney's actual game time translates to just 468 minutes so far, averaging less than half an hour per game.
It marks a sharp decline from his early Arsenal days, when Arteta clearly valued Tierney as one of the most important players in the squad. Speaking in 2020, months after his appointment as Gunners boss, the Spaniard discussed his thoughts on the Scotsman.
Pressed for comment on Tierney's 'down to earth' attitude after he arrived at a game storing his items in a Tesco bag rather than an expensive washbag equivalent, Arteta suggested it spoke to the kind of characteristics he wants in his players.
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"He’s exactly what we need," the Arsenal boss said of Tierney. "He’s the type of player I love. The Tesco bag is Kieran, he’s a very humble guy and does what he feels is right."
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According to the Daily Telegraph, the Magpies are weighing up a move for Tierney in the summer, though they are unlikely to be the only party interested should Arsenal be willing to part ways with the left-back.
The Gunners look a sure thing when it comes to Champions League qualification, but Newcastle could also achieve a top-four finish this term, which would only help their case in trying to entice Tierney away from the Emirates.
Arteta recently addressed the speculation linking Tierney with an Arsenal exit, but remained coy when pressed for an update.
"I don’t know, I’m not thinking about it," the Spaniard claimed. "I’m thinking about what’s best for the team and obviously and the players with the right to play minutes which they all deserve and we’re going to try to do that in the next couple of games."
Arsenal's next test comes in the form of a trip to Sporting Lisbon on Thursday night in the last 16 Europa League - a competition Tierney could find some game time in as Arteta is likely to rest Zinchenko for Premier League action.
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