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…

Calum Chambers Also Set for Arsenal Leadership Role

What Luiz, Xhaka and Lacazette have on their side is a wealth of experience. These are players in and around the latter stages of their careers, with hundreds of appearances to their names and some of whom who’ve played on the biggest stage of all.

As for Bellerin, nobody knows the club better than him and when he departs, Mohamed Elneny will become the second longest serving player in north London…. Elneny!

The only player who has been at the club longer than the Spaniard is Calum Chambers. A name who back in November wasn’t even considered for the team let alone someone who would have such an impact. He’s cemented his place as the starting Premier League right-back after battling back from a horror injury, and with the option of a year extension on his contract is set to stay around for longer.

Arsenal are actively pursuing a first choice starter – who they need – for that position but were they not able to source who they wanted then the club could do worse than Chambers. Not elite by any stretch of the imagination, his standing as an ‘Arsenal man’ makes him an important member of the dressing room and there is no reason to shift him on (he’s also not half bad).

Other than him, Pablo Mari is the other likely candidate to come in and take on more responsibility behind the scenes. Able to communicate with Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel, two huge pieces of the club’s future, in their native Portuguese helps with this.

He’s also experienced, albeit not at the top level, and cuts a composed and commanding figure on the pitch which may transpire into the training ground.

Aubameyang, Holding, Chambers, Tierney and Mari is not the most inspiring ‘leadership’ core ever, even if there are players there with a strong understanding of what it means to done the red and white. With potentially four senior heads departing this summer, the need for natural authority in the transfer market becomes more clear. Finding those players at the right price and the right age is no easy task.

However, with that group, they’re certainly likable. They’re five players the fans have taken to and if they can become the backbone of the side behind the scenes then they already have the support of those in the terraces.