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BBC Sport columnist Chris Sutton believes Arsenal should recall Kieran Tierney from his loan spell at Real Sociedad amid the Gunners' troubling issues at left-back.
Mikel Arteta and Co. suffered a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Fulham on December 31, making it their third Premier League loss in their last five games. Arsenal's main struggle is arguably finding the back of the net consistently but they appear to be struggling at left-back right now.
Oleksandr Zinchenko missed the clash against Fulham due to a calf injury, while Jurrien Timber remains sidelined due to an ACL injury. Arteta deployed Jakub Kiwior at left-back, however, both he and Takehiro Tomiyasu failed to impress against the Cottagers.
Sutton reckons the Gunners should cut short Kieran Tierney's season-long loan deal at Real Sociedad. He said (via The Boot Room):
“Kiwior at left-back, he is not a full-back, he is a centre-back. Why not recall Kieran Tierney? Good shout, does he have a recall? Does he have a recall after six months? Why did you let Tierney go in the first place? Maybe he wanted to play football, but it’s a good point."
Tierney joined La Liga club Real Sociedad over the summer on a season-long loan after losing his place in the starting XI last season. The Scotsman has impressed this season, providing one assist in 11 appearances across all competitions, but has also missed 10 games due to a hamstring injury.
It is unlikely Arsenal recall the 26-year-old anytime soon. Tierney is an excellent traditional left-back but has struggled to play a more inverted role - a system that Arteta has incorporated over the past 18 months.
Arsenal's title hopes are in danger after 2-1 loss against Fulham
Arsenal's Premier League title aspirations took a massive blow after they lost 2-1 against Fulham at Craven Cottage on Sunday, December 31.
Bukayo Saka struck in the fifth minute with a simple tap-in to give the Gunners the lead. Fulham responded positively 24 minutes later with Raul Jimenez finishing well past David Raya after Tom Cairney delivered a ferocious low cross into the box.
Declan Rice failed to clear the ball from a Fulham corner in the 59th minute. His header landed in the path of Bobby De Cordova-Reid who made no mistake to give the Cottagers the lead. Andreas Pereira struck the crossbar from his free-kick in the 88th minute but the hosts held on to their lead to secure all three points.
Despite being at the top of the table at Christmas, Arsenal have dropped down to fourth with 40 points from 20 games. They are two points behind leaders Liverpool, which could increase to five if the Reds defeat Newcastle United on Monday, January 1.
