‘It was alien to me’… Kieran Tierney shares what he found really strange at Arsenal

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Arsenal defender Kieran Tierney has been speaking about a change at the club that may have ultimately led to his exit this season.

Tierney is currently on loan at Real Sociedad in La Liga, where he’s enjoyed some strong performances amid injury disruption.

The Scot is currently unavailable with a hamstring issue, continuing his bad run of luck with injuries in North London.

That being said, 26-year-old Tierney does still have two more years on his Arsenal contract, which runs until the summer of 2026.

And considering just how imperious the defender has looked on Europe’s biggest stages at times, he should command Arsenal a sizable fee should they sell this summer.

Of course, it’s still a surprise to some that the situation has made it to this point, Tierney, a player thought to be a future Arsenal captain, now surplus to first team requirements.

But perhaps Tierney’s recent interview with The Mail does explain how the defender eventually found his way to an Arsenal exit.

Name-checking Oleksandr Zinchenko, Tierney explained how Mikel Arteta changed the game at left-back.

Kieran Tierney explains change at Arsenal that eventually led to his exit

When Arteta first arrived at the club, Tierney was crucial, bombing down the wing and dragging Arsenal to results.

There was a period of Arteta’s tenure in which it almost felt as if the Scot was the key performer, the first name on the team sheet.

However, as Arsenal’s project evolved and they began experimenting with inverted full-backs, there simply wasn’t a role for Tierney.

And Tierney explained that situation: “At Arsenal the left-back can be one of the most central players in the team. 

“If it’s Oleksandr Zinchenko then he is one of the biggest creators from a central position.

“When that got introduced it was alien to me. I have 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 practise it with one of the best.

“It’s so natural to Zinchenko, he makes it look so easy.”

Different directions

Tierney’s Arsenal exit is far from finalised, but it does now seem as if there’s very little chance of a future in North London.

As explained, having an inverted option at full-back is so crucial to the way Arteta wants his team to play – and it simply doesn’t get the best of Tierney’s skill set.

Centre-back Jakub Kiwior has also been attempting to make this change of late, and has perhaps proved more adaptable.

But either way, Tierney will always have a fond place in the heart of Arsenal fans, a player they respected for giving it everything.

That being said, one player in Arteta’s XI right now is also showing similar determination whilst playing through injury.