‘Solid argument’… Pundit says it would make so much sense for Arsenal to bring £25m player back now

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Arsenal have had an issue at left-back over the past few weeks.

Oleksandr Zinchenko and Jurrien Timber have both been sidelined with injury as of late, and, to be brutally honest, Jakub Kiwior and Takehiro Tomiyasu have struggled to step up.

There’s been some talk of Arsenal dipping into the transfer market and signing a new full-back, but speaking on The Athletic Football Podcast, Adrian Clarke has suggested another solution.

Indeed, Clarke says that while he doesn’t think it would happen, he feels there’s a strong argument to make for recalling Kieran Tierney from his loan with Real Sociedad.

Recall Tierney

Clarke spoke about the £25m man.

“I think it helps to have players with different strengths and that’s why there’s talk of Kieran Tierney coming back and being recalled. I don’t think that will happen, but I could form quite a solid argument to suggest that it might be a good idea to offer something different going forwards,” Clarke said.

Not needed

This isn’t the worst idea in the world, but there are some potential pitfalls that Arsenal need to consider.

Once Zinchenko and Timber are back, which shouldn’t be too far away, Tierney will be right back down the pecking order at the Emirates, and he’s also not too well-placed to work in that inverted role down the left.

Tierney is much more of a traditional full-back rather than an inverter, and if he is to retrain in that new role, it would take time.

Tierney would certainly have been useful for Arsenal over the past few weeks, but would he be of use between now and the end of the season? It’s hard to make that case considering his standing within the squad and the system Arsenal are playing right now.

Don’t hold your breath expecting Tierney to return this month.