Newcastle United expected to seal £30m transfer as player told move ‘ticks a lot of boxes’

One of Kieran Tierney’s former teammates believes the left-back’s time at Arsenal is up and a move to Newcastle United “ticks a lot of boxes.”

Former Scotland international Kris Commons, who played with Tierney at Celtic, commented on the 25-year-old being left out of Arsenal’s starting XI for their 1-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

Tierney was expected to start back-to-back Premier League games for only the second time this campaign with first choice left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko ruled out. However, manager Mikel Arteta opted to play centre-back Jakub Kiwior out of position instead.

Tierney has made just six league starts in 2022-23, including just two since Boxing Day. Commons reckons his City Ground snub was “the last straw”.

“From Tierney’s point of view, when there’s an injury crisis and other guys are getting a game ahead of you in your own position, that’s when you know your time is up,” he told the Daily Mail.

“His face obviously just doesn’t fit any more. I think that’s probably the last straw for him at Arsenal and it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see him move on in the summer.

“He’s too good to sit twiddling his thumbs on Arsenal’s bench. If his face doesn’t fit and Arteta doesn’t fancy him, then there will be plenty of suitors elsewhere.”

Newcastle have already registered their interest in Tierney. It was even reported by The Times’ Gary Jacob last week that the player was expected to move to St James’ Park this summer.

An offer of around £30million could convince the Gunners to sell their current second-choice left-back. Arteta could put the funds towards signing either West Ham United’s Declan Rice or Moises Caicedo from Brighton.

And Commons believes a move to Tyneside for Tierney “makes a lot of sense”.

“I think [Newcastle] is a move which would make a lot of sense and tick a lot of boxes for both the club and the player himself,” Commons added. “From Newcastle’s point of view, they would be getting one of the best left-backs in Europe, a born winner, and a guy who could be a mainstay in the team for the next 10 years.

“Tierney is still only 25 years old. His peak years are still ahead of him. He’s already proven at the top level with club and country and also has Champions League experience.

“That’s something which Newcastle will be desperate to add in the summer. Players who have Champions League experience and can come in and immediately improve their starting XI.

“Tierney ticks both those boxes quite emphatically - and, crucially, I also think the move would suit him on a personal level.

“We know he has suffered from homesickness in the past. It’s something he has spoken openly about. By moving from London to Newcastle, he would be far closer to his family. His family would only be two or three hours up the road in Glasgow.

“He would also be moving to one of the richest and most ambitious clubs in Europe, where he knows he would play week in, week out.

“What’s clear is that Tierney’s time at Arsenal is nearing an end. He still has three years to run on his contract, so Arsenal will certainly still get good money for him. But when he does move on to pastures new, it’ll be more their loss than Tierney’s.”

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