Mikel Arteta warned 'future Arsenal captain' will "surely" ask for a transfer

15 March 2023 , 19:11

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Mikel Arteta warned 'future Arsenal captain' will "surely" ask for a transfer

Former Arsenal full-back Bacary Sagna believes that Kieran Tierney is almost certain to demand a summer transfer after falling out of favour this term.

After moving to the Emirates from Celtic back in 2019, Tierney established himself as the Gunners' first-choice left-back prior to the 2022/23 campaign. But the arrival of summer signing Oleksandr Zinchenko, and a number of injury issues, led to Tierney slipping down the pecking order in north London.

Newcastle have recently been credited with an interest in the Scotland international and could be tempted to bid for Tierney if he indicates he wants to play more regularly next year. Sagna, who spent seven years with Arsenal during his own playing career, is adamant that Tierney will seek a move at the end of the campaign.

He told The Games Cabin of Tierney: "He obviously hasn’t been doing amazing and this season the club have brought in Oleksandr Zinchenko, who’s become a key player in the team and in that left-back position. I think Zinchenko is here to stay for a long time, so Kieran is going to have to have a discussion with the club.

"Arsenal are obviously aware of his quality but if Kieran wants to play more, then I’m not sure he’s going to get in ahead of Zinchenko. It will be his decision of course and he can still be a part of Arsenal’s squad but as a player, you always want to play more, so he will surely be asking to leave the club."

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The Daily Telegraph revealed earlier this month that Newcastle are admirers of Tierney, who could cost in the region of £30million in the summer. It is understood that the 25-year-old would be open to joining the Magpies, who have been reinvigorated under the guidance of head coach Eddie Howe.

Join the debate! Do you think Arsenal should sell Tierney in the summer? Let us know here.

Bacary Sagna believes Kieran Tierney will want to quit Arsenal in the summer (Getty Images)

As well as falling behind Zinchenko in the Gunners' pecking order, right-back Takehiro Tomiyasu has also been deployed in Tierney's role ahead of the Scotsman at times this term.

Prior to Tierney's fall from grace, the full-back was highly-rated and regularly praised by fans and pundits alike. In fact, former Gunners favourite Martin Keown even claimed that the former Celtic man was capable of becoming club captain in the wake of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's messy exit back in 2021.

Writing in the Daily Mail at the time, Keown said: "Now Arteta has acted, he's got the chance to select his own skipper. Under his management, I believe Kieran Tierney has been the standout player who could fill that role. But Tierney's relationship seemed strained with his manager recently when he returned from injury and wasn't brought straight back into the team."

Dan Marsh