Journalist claims on-loan Arsenal star will look to secure permanent exit from the club in the summer

Arsenal loanee Kieran Tierney is reportedly pushing to leave the club permanently in the summer after his spell on loan with Spanish club, Real Sociedad. Journalist Chris Wheatley has reported that the Scottish international has evaluated his future at the English club.

Former Celtic star Tierney was once earmarked as a future Arsenal captain after his impressive performances for the club over the years. However, the series of injuries that the left-back has picked up in recent seasons have caused his development to regress, and he lost his place at the Emirates.

Wheatley revealed to Shots TV that Tierney intends to leave the club in the summer, having fallen out of favor with manager Mikel Arteta. The experienced left-back will push for an exit from the club permanently in a bid to play regularly.

Wheatley said:

“Well I think Kieran Tierney is coming into the so-called peak of his career. 26 years old and playing regularly for Real Sociedad. I think he could start for Arsenal, but he doesn’t really fit in the current way of playing. Tierney will be looking for a way out in the summer.

"A lot of teams are in for him as well, don’t forget that Newcastle were after him as well. That’s certainly Tierney’s situation,”

Arteta has handed the starting berth at the club to Ukrainian defender Oleksandr Zinchenko, whose adaptability and versatility make him the manager's choice. The Gunners' boss wants his left-back to invert into midfield to create a numerical advantage and Tierney is not suited to this style.

Kieran Tierney has played 13 times for the Spanish outfit this season, with 11 of them being starts. For context, he made only 15 starts for the Gunners last season despite being fit for most of the campaign.

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Arsenal set to target attacking reinforcement

Arsenal haven't been as fluent in attack this season as they were last season, and this has cost them in the Premier League. They have scored 37 goals in 20 league games so far and are seventh in the list of top-scoring teams in the league.

Consistent injuries to Gabriel Jesus and the loss of form of wingers Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli have caused their attacking numbers to wane.

The Gunners have been linked with a number of strikers this month, including Victor Osimhen and Ivan Toney. They were most recently linked with a move for Saudi-based superstar striker Karim Benzema on a short-term deal (via Team Talk).

Arsenal will do well to sign the French striker, who has nine goals and five assists in 15 games in the Saudi League for Al-Ittihad. He will provide experience and quality up front and will ease some of the goalscoring burden on Brazilian star Jesus.