Arsenal left-back Kieran Tierney has been warned that a move to Newcastle may not be the step that he needs in his career. After starting just six of the league games this season under Mikel Arteta, his long-term prospects at the club are in doubt.
The Gunners invested wisely last summer to bring in Oleksandr Zinchenko, a player that offers tactical difference to Tierney's straight-lines, old-fashioned full-back approach. The Ukrainian international was instrumental in leading the title charge from a leadership perspective and on-field difference maker.
As a player able to drift inside the field he offered new angles to Arteta's approach and found Tierney consistently sidelined. The 26-year-old featured in 27 league games but only ten Yes of them were for more than 20 minutes. With still over three years left on his contract the club are now being forced to consider offers.
The player himself is after more first team football. While the prospect of Champions League matches does mean there will be added reliance on rotation, whether it is the type of role he is happy with next season or not is unknown. There is also the fact of Arteta's concerning team selections to resolve.
The Spaniard chose to use winter signing Jakub Kiwior at left-back for the final month of the season instead of turning to Tierney, indicating his role in the squad had slipped once more. Newcastle are said to be one of the sides keen on adding him to their team in order to ready themselves for European demands.
A success story is far from a certainty under Eddie Howe, though, warns former Liverpool player Dietmar Hamann. “Dan Burn has played very well at left-back,” he told Casinos En Lign. “If Kieran Tierney was to go to Newcastle United because he's a part-time player at Arsenal, would it be any different at Newcastle?
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"The defence and back four have been sensational this season. I can understand why Eddie Howe would want him because he's a very good player to have in your squad, but it remains to be seen if he's happy to stay as second choice, behind Burn."
Burn cost £12.8 million ($16.1m) in January 2022 from Brighton and has helped to transform the Magpies into a top four contender. He has no prior experience at this level unlike Trippier but has cemented himself as one of the most reliable players at the back.
"Burn is doing a fantastic job at left-back, especially for someone of his height," Hamann continued. "You have to have him in the team because he guarantees goals and defending in set pieces, it would be mighty tough for Tierney to get in the team.”
For Tierney personally it may well be a risk but for Arsenal it also bodes the question whether they should be selling a player who is wanted by a now direct rival. With a squad stretched thin at the back already, they would need to find a new option to cover for Tierney, meaning extra work in the transfer window when they already have big pressure to get moves over the line.
Arteta has largely ignored the issue throughout the season, too. "I don’t know, I’m not thinking about that," he said when asked about the lack of gametime for his player. "I’m thinking about what’s best for the team and the players who earn the right to play minutes, that they all deserve.
"We’re going to try and do that in the next couple of games."
For former defender Mikael Slilvestre there is no two ways about it, Tierney should not be sold. "I think it’s important that Arsenal find a way to retain Kieran Tierney,” he told BettingExpert.com.
“Fighting for the title, playing in the Champions League again, you need two international level players in almost every position. So, they need to find a way to convince him that he’s part of the plan for next season.”
Arsenal will now have to balance the need to keep their best players happy with the challenge of maintaining a squad high in both quality and depth. Tierney's role in it all is far from obvious and will need to resolved as the summer goes on.
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