Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is set for his first summer transfer window at the club ahead of his first full season at the Emirates Stadium and there are some big decisions to be made.
The futures of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette, David Luiz and Lucas Torreira continue to make headlines, with potential departures leaving a significant void in the side.
One of the more interesting pieces of gossip floating around is the suggestion that Arsenal could allow Kieran Tierney to leave this summer to raise transfer funds - just 12 months after his £25m capture from Celtic.
However, comments made from Arteta last month suggest that the Spaniard would not consider such a move and values the full-back highly.
The pair spoke on behalf of Adidas, with Gunners legend Ian Wright asking: "One that I was very excited about is Kieran Tierney and how he's doing. We haven't seen too much of him but he's someone I think is going to be magnificent for us."
Arteta's response now seems even more significant, as he spoke about similar excitement he has for the 22-year-old Scotland international.
"I totally agree with you. I’m really looking forward to working with him and giving him the opportunity to play. His attitude, his commitment, his willingness, it’s incredible," he replied.
“I think he’s going to bring something special to us. It [the injury] has been a shame, but it’s part of his development. During your career, you go through these moments.
“I challenged him to say, 'Kieran, how are you going to react to that? You can’t feel sorry for yourself, this happened.
“'Okay, the level of pressure now is a little bit higher, you have to deal with it, you’re playing with a top club, top expectations, deal with it. You have everything to be successful here.
“'You have the best possible attitude that I’ve known from a player, go and live your profession and enjoy it, and that's it.'”
