"He's already at a big club" - Nigel Winterburn urges 24-year-old Arsenal star to ignore Barcelona and Real Madrid interest

Kieran Tierney has been told by Nigel Winterburn to ignore interest from Real Madrid and Barcelona and focus on his job at Arsenal. Nigel believes the Scotland international is 'already at a big club' who are striving hard to become better with each passing game.

The 24-year-old Scotland defender has been a consistent performer for the English Premier League club, having played 88 games since his arrival in 2019. He has also scored four goals across different tournaments while playing for the Gunners.

Kieran Tierney is rumored to be the front runner to be Arsenal's new skipper. The player is also attracting offers from certain big clubs in Europe, including the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona. However, Tierney has himself expressed no desire to move out, showing his trust in Mikel Arteta and his future plans.

Former Gunners defender Nigel Winterburn believes Tierney will stay at the Emirates Stadium despite interest from other big clubs. He said in an interview with Free Super Tips website:

"That suggests that he's playing well enough to be linked to those clubs. I don't really worry about those links because he's at Arsenal, he's under contract and there's been no suggestion to me that he would want to move.''

Winterburn continued:

"I think everybody feels it's great when you're linked to big clubs, but he's already at a big club who are striving to get back to where they want to be.''

Winterburn added that the club is working hard to reclaim their spot in the Premier League and would then go on to challenge in the big European tournaments. He added:

"If they get back to that stage domestically then the only thing would be being competitive in Europe which is what Arsenal have always strived to do, even from when I was there. That's still a way off, but personally I don't worry about these sorts of links, I don't think he wants to push for a move away.''

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Arteta promises to take Arsenal to 'different level'

Mikel Arteta has promised to take the club to a 'different level' in the next 10 years. The Spanish manager outlined his goal in a message to the fans as he celebrates his birthday. Arteta said his biggest success since taking over the managerial role at Arsenal is giving the club a healthy environment.

He said:

"It is a place where they can grow, they can participate and everyone can add value to the club. When you get that, you create a real sense of belonging and that’s something more powerful than just personal interest. I think that’s been one of our biggest wins so far."