“How is he not starting today?” – Arsenal fans convinced 25-year-old star will leave club after he’s not named in XI to face Bournemouth

Arsenal fans are surprised that Kieran Tierney isn't starting for the Gunners in their Premier League clash against Bournemouth on Saturday (4 March).

Tierney, 25, has suffered from a lack of game time this term. Many expected the left-back to have some match time against the Cherries, with Oleksandr Zinchenko being rested.

Mikel Arteta, however, has decided to name the Ukrainian in his team's starting XI. Since making a summer move from Manchester City, Zinchenko has cemented his place as the team's first-choice left-back ahead of Tierney.

While the Scot has made 26 appearances, he has found it hard to be named in the starting XI. Tierney has started only 13 matches this campaign. He joined the Gunners back in 2019 and has since made 113 appearances, scoring five goals and providing three assists.

As for the Gunners' team against Bournemouth, Aaron Ramsdale is in goal. Takehiro Tomiyasu, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, and Zinchenko for the back four.

Thomas Partey, Martin Odegaard, and Fabio Vieira are the three in midfield while Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, and Leandro Trossard start up front.

Arteta's side are currently at the summit of the Premier League table with 60 points from 25 matches. Bournemouth, meanwhile, are battling to survive relegation. They currently have 21 points on the board from 24 matches.

Fans, though, are convinced that Tierney should have been a part of the starting XI against Bournemouth. One fan wrote:

"Tierney defo going in the summer, how is he not starting today?"

Many fans believe Tierney will leave Arsenal in the summer for his lack of game time. Here are some of the best reactions from fans across Twitter:

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta on Bournemouth's threat

Arsenal and Bournemouth will enter the contest in contrasting forms. While the Gunners have won three out of their last five, the Cherries have won only one out of their last five outings.

Arteta, however, refused to dismiss the threat of a side that are languishing in the 19th place. He said ahead of the match (via the Gunners' official website):

"I watched the games they played against Brighton, Wolves, Newcastle and Man City. I’m really impressed by what they are doing. They are really aggressive, they haven’t conceded many in those games and they could have had different results in two of those four games."

"Against Man City, [City] showed some quality when they opened up when finishing the actions to make the score really big, but it was a really competitive match again."

Arsenal will regain their five-point lead over Manchester City with a win against the Cherries. The Cityzens reduced the gap on the Gunners to just two points after beating Newcastle United 2-0 earlier on Saturday.

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