Arsenal left-back Kieran Tierney may now be ‘pushing’ to leave the Gunners with Premier League rivals Newcastle United offering the Scotland international a fresh start at St James’ Park.
At least, this is Danny Murphy’s assessment of the situation.
The former Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and England ace, speaking to talkSPORT (24 May, 10.40am), would not be surprised to see Kieran Tierney head for the exit after a season in which he’s started only six Premier League games under Mikel Arteta.
With the former Manchester City boss emulating Pep Guardiola’s ‘inverted full-back’ system at Arsenal, Tierney has begun to look like a square peg in a round hole; lacking Oleksandr Zinchenko’s passing range and tactical-awareness.
But what he lacks in that department, he makes up for in pace, energy and plenty of pinpoint crosses. Tierney is likely to be a man reborn at Newcastle; Magpies boss Eddie Howe requiring his full-backs to hold the width rather than drift infield.
The Times believe that the former Celtic youngster is now likely to end up at St James’ Park.
Arsenal could sell Kieran Tierney to Newcastle United
“The lad himself is obviously a good player,” Murphy explains.
“He might be pushing, knocking on the door constantly and saying (to Arteta); ‘Look, I know you’ve got Zinchenko and he’s a good player but if you want me to sit here as a number two, it’s not happening’.”
Tierney joined Arsenal in a £25 million deal from Celtic back in 2019.
If is to move up north again, the Douglas-born flyer will give Howe something he hasn’t really had throughout his Newcastle tenure; a genuine attack-minded left-back. One capable of offering a completely different dimension to the 6ft 7ins Dan Burn.
“I really like Kieran Tierney,” one-time Premier League striker Stan Collymore tells Caught Offside. “When he moved to Arsenal, there were a lot of comparisons (with) Liverpool’s Andy Robertson.
“Robertson obviously kicked on and grown to become a genuinely world-class left-back. And Tierney has stagnated a bit due to injury and fitness problems.
“However, I still think at the age of 25 – and with Howe’s exceptional individual coaching methods – there is still plenty of time for the Scotsman to enjoy the same kind of success Liverpool’s number 26 has.
“If Newcastle have the money available to look at signing quality players in the summer, then there is absolutely no reason why they shouldn’t go out and get Tierney.
“He’d be a really good player for them. He would offer some very good balance. He loves to get forward but he is also solid defensively.”
