‘I thought he’d go to Newcastle’ - Insider issues transfer update on Eddie Howe ‘target’

Kieran Tierney’s Arsenal future remains up in the air as the transfer deadline approaches.

Tierney has been left looking for a new home after falling down the pecking order at the Emirates Stadium over the last year or so. The signing of Oleksandr Zinchenko meant less appearances for the Scot last season, and he seems to have fallen out of the picture altogether this season despite offering to play a supplamentary role again.

Newcastle United were linked with a move during this summer window, but they seem to have avoided a deal, moving to sign Lewis Hall this week.

Celtic have also been linked, but Arsenal insider Charles Watts doesn’t believe any deal is close. He told TeamTalk: “We’re not seeing him while these talks are going on. I don’t think they’ve progressed anywhere.

“Newcastle have signed Lewis Hall now so that’s one potential exit route closed for Tierney which was a surprise. I thought he’d go to Newcastle. There’s lots of doors that seem to be closing for Tierney. I don’t know what Newcastle’s scouting department has seen and recommended.

“But clearly they felt that Hall was a better long-term investment than Kieran Tierney. Tierney’s a fantastic left-back, who would have suited Newcastle really well. But obviously the scouting department felt differently. Hall looks like a decent player in the few games that I’ve seen him.

“But if you’ve got a choice between Kieran Tierney and Lewis Hall for around the same sort of transfer fee, for me, there’s only one player I’m signing there and it’s not Hall.”

La Liga club Real Sociedad, who are in the Champions League this season, are said to be interested in a move.

“(Real) Sociedad are still in the mix,” added Watts. “They’re still hoping to get him and it just depends if they can come up with financial terms. You wonder if that’s going to be possible or not.

“They do have Champions League football this season, which might help in terms of money, but I think Arsenal started this summer wanting big money for Tierney and expected big money for him.”