Kevin Campbell says Arsenal defender Kieran Tierney could be ‘surplus to requirements’ during the summer transfer window because he has now fallen behind Oleksandr Zinchenko, as he told The Highbury Squad.
The former Arsenal striker thinks the Scotland international no longer suits the way Mikel Arteta’s side plays in the Premier League, with Oleksandr Zinchenko taking the qualities from left-back up a few levels following his summer arrival.
On Monday night, Tierney started the 3-0 win over League One Oxford United in the FA Cup, but he isn’t expected to be in the starting XI ahead of the trip to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
Since Tierney’s £25 million transfer to north London from his boyhood club Celtic in 2019 (Sky Sports), he has become an important and popular figure amongst the club’s supporters.
So much so that his absence, through injury, towards the back end of last season played a part in the Gunners missing out on Champions League.
Those injuries have been a constant problem for the 25-year-old, as Campbell discussed why Zinchenko is now ahead of the Unai Emery capture.
“He (Tierney) didn’t influence the game (against Oxford) the way we know he could,” said Campbell. “But that’s because of the level Zinchenko is now playing at. You look at when Zinchenko comes on, and then all of a sudden, we click because we dominate the ball. Why? Because he dominates the ball. He’s technically so gifted.
“Kieran Tierney isn’t that type of player. He is your typical left-back. He will get it and he will move up and down. Sometimes he can do that (come into midfield and dictate play), but nowhere near as Zinchenko does because he’s a really good midfielder.
On Tierney no longer being suited to how Arsenal play: “I think sometimes it depends on who we play. I think there will be times when Kieran Tierney is preferred at left-back, in some of those Europa League games, Kieran Tierney could be starting. I think, for the league, for the domination we want to have with the ball, then I think Zinchenko is the preferred player.
“He might be surplus to requirements at the end of the season. Let’s see. But I still think he definitely has a part to play from this point until the end of the season.”
ARSENAL SQUAD
With the January transfer window open and Arsenal pushing for the Premier League title, one constant talking point has been how Arteta doesn’t have the squad depth to compete.
And that is correct, but there are certain areas of the pitch where they are very strong.
Less than 12 months on from when left-back proved to be the weak link in the team, it’s now one of the strongest areas with Zinchenko and Tierney competing for a spot, as well as Takehiro Tomiyasu earning some minutes there.
But if Arsenal want that squad depth and the levels not to drop when changes are made, then they need to take this Tierney and ZInchenko battle with a smile on their face and ensure the Scotsman stays on board beyond this summer.
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