Mikel Arteta has revealed that injured defender Kieran Tierney is nearing a return to fitness, but should the club be so quick to replace Bukayo Saka?
Former Celtic left-back Tierney hasn’t played for the Gunners since December, having suffered a string of injuries this season that have kept him out of action for large periods of time.
Since Arteta replaced Unai Emery as Arsenal manager, 18-year old Saka has deputised at left-back in Tierney’s stead, despite being a natural winger.
Saka has played ten times at left-back in the Premier League this season, assisting a goal in both of his last two games against Newcastle and Everton, and his performances have earned him praise from both Arteta and the fans.
Now that Tierney is nearing his return though, Arteta will likely be presented with a difficult dilemma.
Tierney was signed in the summer as the club’s long-term left-back, and while Saka has impressed in recent weeks, it’s unlikely that he’ll ever fully convert to playing full-back, so Tierney’s reintroduction makes sense.
However, with Arsenal still firmly in the hunt for the Europa League, something which is not yet guaranteed for the London side, they may need to stick with their best team, and that would feature Saka at left-back.
Statistically speaking, the decision is fairly cut and dry. Tierney has a smaller sample size of games which does give him a slight edge, but he is currently averaging more interceptions per game (0.6 v Saka’s 0.4), while he also ranks higher in clearances (2.2 v 0.5), blocks (0.4 v 0.2) and offsides won (0.4 v 0.2).
Offensively, Tierney has posted better stats too, averaging more Premier League key passes (0.8 v 0.6) and crosses (1.2 v 0.3) than Saka.
Therefore, while Saka doesn’t deserve to be dropped per se, perhaps it could be the correct move for Arteta to reintroduce Tierney when he is fit and ready to play.
