Summary Newcastle United have reignited their interest in Arsenal's Kieran Tierney as they look to improve their left-back position. Tierney has fallen out of favor at Arsenal and could be available for as little as £25m. Newcastle will face competition from other clubs, with Real Sociedad expressing interest in a potential loan deal for the player.
Newcastle United have an "interest" in a £25m defender hailed as a "natural leader" but will face competition from teams across Europe for his signature, per Sky Sports reporter Mark McAdam.
Newcastle United news – what is the latest?
While things have been going brilliantly for the Toon ever since the Saudi-led consortium took over in late 2021, the last few months have probably gone better than anyone was really expecting.
From qualifying for the Champions League for the first time in over two decades at the end of last season, to making one of the summer's statement signings in AC Milan's Italian international Sandro Tonali and now kicking off this season with a spectacular 5-1 demolition of Aston Villa – things could hardly be better.
And while the Magpies have made some other astute signings alongside Tonali, like Harvey Barnes from Leicester City and Tino Livramento from Southampton, manager Eddie Howe has made it clear he would like to add more as the side prepares to fight on multiple fronts this year.
Read the latest Newcastle United transfer news HERE…
One area of the team he would like to improve is left-back, as while Dan Burn has been brilliant for the side, Matt Targett could be improved upon, and the player that could do it is Arsenal's forgotten man, Tierney.
The Scotsman was a target for the Toon earlier in the window, and it looks like they have now reignited that interest and could land the dynamic full-back for as little as £25m, should they be able to beat out other interested parties, per Sky Sports reporter Mark McAdam.
He explained the situation on Sky Sports News (via Football Daily), saying:
"We understand that Newcastle retain an interest in Kieran Tierney. [He] wasn't involved in the matchday squad this weekend for Arsenal's game against Nottingham Forest.
"The 26-year-old has fallen out of favour really in North London; however, he still has three years left on his current contract. Now we understand Newcastle have to be very clever and creative with the players they sign between now and the end of the window because of FFP.
"Eddie Howe said he would love, dearly love to add to his squad where possible, however, they don't have huge funds to do it. There are a number of clubs interested in Kieran Tierney; Real Sociedad seem to be the most keen at this stage on potentially taking him on loan.
"We understand Arsenal value him at £25m, which is what they paid for him in 2019. However, the clubs that have expressed an interest have all said, 'What's the deal with regards to a loan?'
"So this is going to be one to monitor, we know that that's an area of the pitch that Eddie Howe's looking to strengthen at left-back."
Where was Kieran Tierney born?
Born June 5th 1997, in Douglas, the Isle of Man, the 26-year-old moved to the mainland when he was just ten months old with his family settling in Wishaw, Scotland.
Before moving to Arsenal in 2019, the all-action left-back spent three-and-a-half years at Celtic, where he won everything there was to win in Scottish football and became a fan favourite for his battling displays and fantastic work ethic.
While his time in North London was initially blighted by injuries before new signings slowly replaced him, he was still able to show, in glimpses, that same fantastic work ethic that won him so many fans north of the border.
He is also mature beyond his years and was – at points – tipped to be a future captain for the Gunners, with Mikel Arteta hailing him as a "natural leader" only a couple of seasons ago.
For a player that has had such a stop-start time of it over the last year, his underlying numbers are still quite impressive and suggest that he could be excellent were he given a proper run of games in the Newcastle eleven.
According to FBref, which compares players in a similar position across Europe's top five leagues, the £110,000-a-week man sits in the top 11% for total shots, the top 17% for non-penalty expected goals, the top 18% for progressive passes and the top 21% for progressive carries, all per 90.
For the reported price of just £25m, this seems like a no-brainer of a deal, and Newcastle should be doing all they can to get it over the line, even if that means spending a little bit more than they wanted to this summer as he would add genuine quality and depth to that left-hand side.