BURNING DESIRE

Tierney has the hunger to succeed and Graham reckons his positive attitude will help Arsenal progress

KIERAN TIERNEY eschewed the modern accoutrement of a designer bootbag in favour of a humble Tesco plastic carrier last weekend on a trip to Bramall Lane — but it is not the only baggage he is missing, according to former Arsenal manager George Graham.

Graham believes that Tierney’s approach to the game is bereft of much of the gaudiness that has been the hallmark of current players and is instead reminiscent of a time when Scottish players and their commitment to the cause were revered south of the border.

Such has been Graham’s recent impression of Tierney, whose first season in North London has been of a staccato nature given his injury issues, that he reminds him of the players he tried to sign when he first took over the Arsenal managerial reigns.

‘When I first went to Arsenal and I knew I had to rebuild the club, those (players like Tierney) were the kind of players I wanted to bring in,’ said the 75-year-old, whose haul as Arsenal manager includes two titles, two League Cups an FA Cup and a European Cup Winners’ Cup in his nine-year spell.

‘I brought in guys like Nigel Winterburn, Lee Dixon and Steve Bould. I had come into a club where there were good players but I wanted to really shake things up and having players who are hungry gives you that.

‘I still think that they need at least another three or four players if they want to challenge and compete, but you look at a player like Tierney who has so much potential and you get the feeling that he will give everything on the park.

‘He has that will to win. You can’t coach that desire.

‘It’s innate and he has it and for me as a fellow Scot, I am delighted.’

Tierney’s dislocation of his shoulder and subsequent surgery in December came on the back of a persistent pubic problem which had curtailed his final appearances at Celtic and the opening months of his time in London. Following his £25million move last August, it meant that he struggled for a consistent run in the team but, post lockdown, there has been an opportunity for Tierney to properly showcase the qualities which were the hallmark of his time with the Parkhead side.

A key performer as Arsenal have won their last three league games and particularly impressive in the midweek 4-0 win over Norwich, Tierney (right) has caught the eye and Graham (top left) is enthused by the role he could play in Mikel Arteta’s rebuilding at Arsenal.

‘Time was when every club in England had at least a few Scottish players in it,’ said Graham. ‘Kieran looks like a throwback. You see him knocking about with the Tesco bag and you’re thinking that with all the money these guys are on now, he could definitely afford something a bit more glamorous.

‘It made me smile. But, yeah, it definitely just shows that he has his feet firmly on the ground. And I think, right now, that is what Arsenal need. Players like that who are hungry and want to just focus on their football. Every team needs to have players like that.’

If the methods that Arteta will employ inside Arsenal’s modern and expansive training facility will be in sharp contrast to the old-school teachings of Graham, the same current that connects both is a drive for success.

‘The league has changed so much since my time,’ said Graham.

‘It’s not enough to just have the appetite for it. It will definitely serve Kieran well, and it has definitely endeared him to the support, but he has more to his game than just that, too. He is an exciting talent and I am delighted to see a Scottish boy in the Arsenal team. I don’t know him at all and I don’t have any dealings with him.

‘I have never been one to hang around the club since I left because you always feel that you have to accept that you had your time and it’s passed to someone else, but I still love Arsenal. Hopefully, I’ll be seeing a lot of Kieran in the next few months.’