Arsenal fans fearing for this season with desperately thin squad as forgotten man appears in team photo
The Gunners first team lined up alongside boss Mikel Arteta at the club’s Sobha Realty Training Centre on Tuesday.
Summer signings Riccardo Calafiori, Mikel Merino, Neto, and Raheem Sterling all took their places in the team snap.
They were joined by youngsters Ethan Nwaneri, Lewis Myles-Skelly, Tommy Setford and Ayden Heaven from the Gunners academy.
One player some fans were surprised to see included in the 25-man photo was forgotten full-back Kieran Tierney.
The Scot was heavily linked with a move away from the Emirates over the summer.
Tierney spent last season on loan in LaLiga with Real Sociedad but was hampered by niggling hamstring issues.
The Gunners reportedly wanted £30million for Tierney just last year, after paying Celtic £25m for his services in 2019.
But following his injury-ravaged year – which ended with Tierney stretchered out of Euro 2024 – the Gunners slashed their asking price on the forgotten star.
Tierney played just 20 times for Sociedad last season and last appeared in a Gunners shirt in August 2023.
One fan responded to the team photo on X: “Forgot that Tierney was still registered for our squad.”
Another said: “The squad is so thin that we have space beside Martinelli, those guys in front are the main guys the face of the new project. 4 academy boys in the squad and Keiran Tierney too.”
And a third joked: “4 Hale End + 21 senior heads & Kieran Tierney.”
While a fourth referenced the defender’s poor injury record, adding: “At least Tierney is standing up.”
Tierney opened up on his future with the Gunners after returning from his unsuccessful loan in Spain.
Goalkeepers
- David Raya
- Neto
- Tommy Setford
Defenders
- William Saliba
- Gabriel
- Riccardo Calafiori
- Jurrien Timber
- Jakub Kiwior
- Oleksandr Zinchenko
- Kieran Tierney
- Ben White
- Takehiro Tomiyasu
- Ayden Heaven
Midfielders
- Declan Rice
- Thomas Partey
- Jorginho
- Mikel Merino
- Martin Odegaard
- Ethan Nwaneri
- Lewis Myles-Skelly
Attackers
- Gabriel Martinelli
- Leandro Trossard
- Raheem Sterling
- Bukayo Saka
- Kai Havertz
- Gabriel Jesus
But he admitted in May he was unlikely to break back into the first team after falling down the pecking order.
Speaking to The Athletic, Tierney said: “Look at the squad depth in that position now.
“They have Zinchenko, Timber, Tomiyasu, Kiwior. Four players can play there.
“So if I go back and it’s the same as before then I’m not silly, I know the chances are I’ll be leaving.
“But you never know in football. You get the rare case with [William] Saliba.
“Where he came back after a couple of good seasons [out on loan] but you don’t see it too often with someone who has played for four years, left, and then come back to play again.”
Despite a mini squad crisis before the North London Derby, Arsenal took bragging rights from local rivals Spurs on Sunday.
Their 1-0 win on enemy territory continues the Gunners’ unbeaten start to the season.
Arsenal currently sit second in the Premier League, two points behind leaders Man City after four games.
