Arsenal legend Martin Keown admits he's disappointed Arteta let £25m man go

If Arsenal legend Martin Keown had his way, the £25 million man Mikel Arteta cut loose last summer would still be at the Emirates Stadium today.

With Tuesday’s thrilling 2-2 Champions League quarter-final first-leg draw against Bayern Munich still fresh in the memory, Keown is struggling to shake the image of one Jakub Kiwior being turned inside out by an electrifying Leroy Sane.

Kiwior was put out of his misery at the break – and not for the first time this season – with Oleksandr Zinchenko coming on in his place after the interval. The Pole has undoubtedly made progress this term but, lining up at left-back, Kiwior still feels like something of a short-term, sticking plaster-style solution.

Zinchenko obviously remains Arsenal’s first-choice – the Ukrainian’s poise and versatility integral to Arteta’s gameplan – but Keown feels that there is still space in this Gunners roster for a player of Kieran Tierney‘s talents too.

Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images

Arteta has frequently opted to utilise a back-four full of centre-halves of late, but Tierney’s acceleration, athleticism and touch-line treading talents would offer the London giants a totally different dimension on the flank.

“I like Kieran. I’d have liked to see him stay,” Keown, a three-time Premier League winner under Arsene Wenger, tells talkSPORT (12 April, 11am).

“Kiwior has been given the opportunity, and I’m not certain he is ready yet. Zinchenko is the player who came on at half-time (against Bayern Munich). I thought that was a really good move. (Arteta) might have wondered whether Kiwior was ready to play in that game, and that’s Tierney’s position.”

Tierney, a £25 million signing from Celtic, lost his place to Zinchenko last term and was farmed out on loan to La Liga outfit Real Sociedad in the summer. There is no option-to-buy clause in the speedy Scot’s contract, however, meaning he will return to Arsenal ahead of pre-season even if his long-term future remains shrouded in doubt.

Keown certainly would not be against the idea of Tierney being handed a fresh start at the Emirates. Though any eventual decision will rest upon the shoulders of the ever-ruthless Arteta.

“You might argue (Tierney) has been unlucky,” Keown adds. “But he wants to play. Let’s see what happens.

“Arteta has made some really big calls and he won’t be afraid to make them in the future. It might be that there’s another left-back who comes in. Someone completely different.

“So, let’s see what happens.”

HITC have been told that Arsenal are looking at Fenerbahce left-back Ferdi Kadioglu. Very much a typical Arteta player, Kadioglu is a converted midfielder who can play the ‘inverted’ role to a tee.

“I’m playing for one of the best teams in La Liga (in Sociedad),” Tierney tells the Scottish Sun. “It’s a young side with plenty of home-grown players and a great head coach (Imanol Alguacil).

“I feel I can relate to a lot of players. I, too, came through the ranks at the club I was born into and grew up with. One million per cent, it’s a club that will always be in my heart. I’ll always follow Sociedad, always support them. And there are people I’ll stay in touch with forever.”