Arsenal to hand Kieran Tierney vital new role next season

Arsenal are plotting a considerable overhaul of their squad this summer. A full scale reboot. Numerous players will exit as others enter the fray, with much more to consider than mere quality: David Luiz, Granit Xhaka, Alexandre Lacazette and Hector Bellerin all have something in common.

Unai Emery left a lingering taste in the mouth upon his sacking that wasn’t so quickly shirked. He brought that back in last season’s Europa League in a different manner, but his lasting impact on the club still exists within the squad in the form of his internal troupe.

A core of players who acted as a ‘leadership group’ was one of the first elements Emery introduced upon his arrival, with a core of five captains: Laurent Koscielny, Aaron Ramsey, Petr Cech, Mesut Ozil and Xhaka.

When Mikel Arteta joined he opted to keep a similar ethos within the squad, albeit less publicly, with different members. As it noticeable this summer, near enough that entire group is being disbanded.

Arsenal to hand Kieran Tierney vital new role next season as Mikel Arteta shakes up his squad this summer transfer window

It’s a shift long overdue but one that poses brand new challenges to tackle. Clubs across the country have their own leaders, those with natural qualities or experience that make them some of the louder voices. As the summer transfer window ticks on, Arsenal are losing theirs, for better or for worse.

Kieran Tierney is going nowhere, however.

The Scot is a firm fan favourite. It really is impossible not to love him, and that feeling is shared within the Gunners camp. Football.london reveal that big changes are being made to that core group, one that will likely only have Rob Holding and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang remaining, and the 24-year-old has become an obvious figure to take up a free slot.

A respected member of the group, Tierney’s committed displays and attitude, the consistent level with which he performs and his willingness to speak up whenever needed have him already pinned down as future captain material. In Arsenal’s darkest hours last season he never shied away from adversity.

"“I think he can be [captain one day],” Arteta said. “He has the respect and the admiration of every member of the staff and every player. “It’s just the way he is, he does it in a natural way. He’s a shy boy but I think he represents all of the values we want to install and that are in the DNA of this club.”"

So, that’s three spots filled up. If it’s a core of five, who takes the other two?

Continued…