especially in Mikel Artetaone day your arsenal Careers were over in a blink of an eye.

While that may not happen to club stalwarts like Gabriel and Declan Rice, just ask the likes of Aaron Ramsdale and Emile Smith Rowe how quickly things can change.

You didn’t necessarily do a lot wrong. Ramsdale and Smith Rowe did not. However, in order to improve the team’s strength, Arteta had to resort to ruthless measures.

The Gunners have yet to win Premier League Or the Champions League, but few can deny the fact that Arsenal’s squad depth is the best in the country.

They achieved this by spending years in the transfer market, getting rid of players like Ramsdale and buying not just floor-raisers but ceiling-raisers like David Raya.

Many players have gone through the same process, whether it’s Alexander Zinchenko or in sadder situations, Kieran Tierney.

What’s wrong with Kieran Tierney at Arsenal

Signed from Celtic for £25m back in August 2019, the Scot happened to be one of the last signings of the dismal Unai Emery era in north London.

As it happens, Tierney was an excellent catcher initially. Most teams in England’s top flight are interested in him and the Gunners have made a bid to bring him to the Emirates Stadium.

The Scotland international is a flying full-back who is brave, combative and a real threat in the attacking third. A dedicated defender, his performances on the left flank were striking.

He often appears on the touchline, sometimes playing as a left-winger. However, things quickly began to go downhill for Tierney in the English capital due to a poor injury record and tactical changes made by Arteta.

In fact, the 28-year-old could not stay away from treatment and missed more than 60 games due to multiple injuries. While that put him in a tough spot, so did the arrival of Zinchenko.

Arteta now wants a defender who can turn the tables. Tierney is the exact opposite.

Speaking to The Guardian in February 2024, the Scottish defender said: “One of the things about Arsenal is that their left-back is one of the most central players; (Alexander) Zinchenko is one of their biggest creators, more like a No. 6. When this first came out, it was very foreign to me. I had never played as a centre-back, even as a kid. I was always high up and wide, what you would call the more normal left-back position I’ve known my whole life.”

Tierney continues to spend the 2023/24 season on loan at Real Sociedad, but he returned to the first team at the Emirates Stadium last season and enjoyed something of a renaissance.

He made 13 appearances in the Premier League and even scored in his farewell game against Southampton to wave goodbye in the best possible way.

Sadly for Arsenal, it looks like Tierney’s situation may be repeating itself.

Arsenal new Kieran Tierney

Tierney’s downfall at Arsenal was no fault of his own. He trains hard and has a great attitude. Sometimes in life, however, it’s best to move on.

Unfortunately for some Ben Whiteit seems he is now falling victim to the same situation.

Signed for £50m in 2021Questions were raised over the fee after playing a full season of Premier League football with Brighton.

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The Gunners have been extremely generous with their spending in recent years.

However, the defender has more than repaid his transfer fee with some outstanding performances at right-back since joining.

White was initially signed as a centre-back, particularly as Leeds were promoted from the Championship under Marcelo Bielsa. He made his name in the EFL but it wasn’t long before he became a Premier League star as well.

At Arsenal he has established himself as one of the best defenders in the country, initially playing as a centre-back before moving to right-back where he has found a more permanent home for himself.

When the reporter first arrived in the capital Tom Buckley wrote The Gunners have secured “one of the brightest prospects in English football” and for a while, he looked very much like that.

He is a regular in the England squad and is one of the most important components of Arsenal’s squad. He missed just one league game in his first year at the club, played 46 games the following season and reached over half a century in 2023/24.

A rock-solid member of Arteta’s ever-improving backline, he is also a threat in the final third, having been involved in as many as 16 goals between 2022/23 and 2023/24. His partnership with Bukayo Saka on the right is a huge weapon for Arsenal.

However, just as Zinchenko ruined Tierney’s playing time, “the best right back in the Premier League” Jurrien Timber, In the words of Simon Collins of The Standard This hurt White’s chances of making a long-term career for himself in London.

That said, it’s not entirely the Dutch’s fault. Last year, White, like Tierney, became injury-prone.

Since the start of the 2024/25 season, he has missed 33 games due to injury. This is pretty much a league-wide event. While Timber did return to full fitness early in 2025/26, he was simply too good to be evicted.

The England defender subsequently started just five league games all season. He has also not started work since January 17. In fact, the 28-year-old was even left out of the matchday squads against Tottenham and Chelsea due to injury.

Crucially, he’s not just competing against timber now either. Summer signing Christian Mosquera came on as a substitute against Tottenham Hotspur and performed perfectly at right-back.

Like Tierney, this series of events is truly sad and it would not be a surprise if White fails to start another game for the Gunners before leaving in the summer. This certainly looks like the end of the road for the full-back.

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