Arsenal loanee given glowing report after ‘exquisite’ debut for £25m star looking to impress
Arsenal defender Kieran Tierney has been given a glowing report following his debut for Real Sociedad in La Liga this weekend.
The Scottish defender will spend the season on loan in Spain after falling down the pecking order at the Emirates.
Tierney had been linked with a move to Newcastle, but they opted to sign Chelsea full-back Lewis Hall instead.
Having only started in six league matches last season, it made sense that Tierney was looking for a fresh challenge to get his career going once again.
The move to Real Sociedad seems to have ticked a lot of boxes for the player and his new manager Imanol Alguacil was impressed with the Arsenal loanee on his debut.
“For Kieran, our way of playing is very similar to Arsenal’s,” Alguacil told reporters following Real Sociedad’s Granada.
“He has enormous experience because he comes from a top team and a top league. So his debut didn’t surprise me. Kieran’s fitted in very well and technically he’s exquisite and has a very high level when it comes to defending.
“He’s Scottish in the tackle – by that I mean very committed – and he’s able to raise his head and decide the best options when on the ball. He’s going to get even better because he’s very impulsive, yet knows when to go in for a tackle and when not to.
“I think he can go even further as a player. Kieran will be a big player for us and is going to contribute a lot.”
Tierney played 69 minutes of the match and was withdrawn with his side leading 4-1. It looks as if he will be a key component of Alguacil’s plans this season and the defender could be in for an exciting year.
The Gunners signed Tierney back in 2019 for a reported fee of £25m. He has racked up 124 appearances for Arsenal since then, but he has faced several spells on the sidelines due to injury.
Upon his unveiling at Real Sociedad, Tierney explained his decision to leave the club and why he opted to move to Spain.
“I left because [Arsenal] last season I couldn’t play a lot and what I wanted was to play a lot of games and I wanted to try to do it at Real Sociedad,” Tierney explained.
“I don’t have any problem with Arsenal. Knowing that Real Sociedad wanted to have me here, feeling all the love from the people here was very good.
“Being in the Basque Country, having the experience of living here and playing in La Liga, is something I am very proud of. I hope things will go very well for me here.”
