The 4 cornerstone players of the Mikel Arteta era
LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 01: Nicolas Pepe of Arsenal in action during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Tottenham Hotspur at Emirates Stadium on September 01, 2019, in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
The Mikel Arteta era at Arsenal will truly get underway this summer and beyond. Here are the only four current players who will be cornerstone pieces of his future plans.
Mikel Arteta is almost five months into his time as Arsenal manager. In reality, however, his rebuilding project will not commence until next season, after what will be a very strange summer transfer window. With that in mind, which of the current players are cornerstone pieces of the next few seasons as Arteta rebuilds the team? Below, I name the only four definite players who will be crucial to Arteta’s rebuild.
I have not included ageing players, those likely to leave, those that have struggled extensively with injuries or young players who still have uncertain development and futures despite great potential. These are players who are near-guaranteed to be crucial pieces under Arteta, not those that might or could be.
LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 24: Joe Lolley of Nottingham Forest battles for the ball with Kieran Tierney of Arsenal during the Carabao Cup Third Round match between Arsenal FC and Nottingham Forrest at Emirates Stadium on September 24, 2019, in London, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
4. Kieran Tierney
Kieran Tierney might not have even played 1,000 minutes for Arsenal yet, but he has already made quite the impression during his first season with the club. He immediately endeared himself to the fans when he turned up to every training session in short sleeves, shorts, and his shirt tucked-in, he then produced several excellent performances, especially in the Europa League, and showed signs of becoming Arsenal’s long-term left-back solution.
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And despite having not played a single second under Arsenal’s new head coach, he has also made quite the impression on Arteta during his rehabilitation from a dislocated should. “I’m really looking forward to working with him and giving him the opportunity to play,” Arteta told Ian Wright as part of Adidas’ ‘I’m Going To Call You’ campaign. “His attitude, his commitment, his willingness, it’s incredible. I think he’s going to bring something special to us.”
Tierney will turn 23 this summer, the absolute ideal age for a modern-day footballer, was the club captain at Celtic before he arrived in north London, and is revered among his teammates, supporters and manager, all without having hardly played. When fit, which he is now, he is a cornerstone piece of the team already.
