Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta may have just performed a U-turn over selling defender Kieran Tierney as a report shares some exit news out of the club.
Who could leave Arsenal this summer?
The Premier League title-chasers are flying high and currently on course to beat champions Man City to their first triumph in nearly 20 years. Owing to the incredible job Arteta has done in north London, their failed pursuit of a top-four finish last season now feels like a distant memory.
Indeed, the Gunners are currently eight points clear at the top of the table, and while City have a game in hand, Arteta's side are still firmly in the driving seat. However, as is inevitable, some fringe players have been unable to contribute as regularly as they'd like – prompting links with a move away from the club.
The likes of Emile Smith Rowe and Rob Holding, for instance, have been mentioned as possible candidates for the chopping block – as well as the likes of Folarin Balogun and Nuno Tavares, who are both currently out on loan away from the Emirates.
Tierney was also thought of as a possible exit but it appears Arteta has changed his mind about the player.
Reliable reports have suggested recently that the Scotland international could leave and Arteta 'won't stand in his way' (Northern Echo), but a new claim has revealed that Tierney could now stay beyond this summer.
Football Transfers states Arteta is now 'reluctant to sell' the former Celtic star and 'would like to keep' him alongside Holding, Smith Rowe and Balogun. It's added that Tierney is 'important' to Arsenal's manager as there is a belief both Takehiro Tomiyasu and Tavares are not viable alternatives to Oleksandr Zinchenko at left-back.
Should Arsenal keep Tierney?
Despite finding regular minutes hard to come by, thanks in part to injuries and the form of Zinchenko, we believe he could still play a role for years to come – with Sir Alex Ferguson even once calling Tierney 'phenomenal'.
The defender was actually a regular figure under Arteta last season, starting 22 league games and ranking among their top seven best-performing players by average match rating (WhoScored).
Tierney has chipped with three assists over the 21/22 domestic campaign, and while that might not seem like a mind-blowing number, it was actually the fifth-highest return in their squad (WhoScored).
Even as more of a rotational option, the player is a solid Zinchenko alternative to call upon, yet it remains to be seen whether Tierney would be satisfied with such a role personally.