Newcastle United have been told the arrival of Kieran Tierney would bring the same attacking threat down the left, akin to that of Kieran Trippier on the opposite flank. Eddie Howe's side are understood to be in the market for a left-back this summer, given Matt Targett's injury struggles and Dan Burn playing out of position.
It's a position the Blyth native has now made his own, but with Targett returning from injury, he'll be keen to prove a point to the Magpies head coach. Tierney is one of a number of players linked with a move to St. James' Park, having struggled for game time at Premier League leaders Arsenal.
The Scottish left-back is reportedly keen on a move to Tyneside, given how well they've performed this season. That move could come to fruition this summer if the 25-year-old doesn't see an improvement in game time.
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The former Celtic defender - who Howe tried to sign during his Bournemouth tenure - has been kept out of the Gunners' starting XI following the arrival of Oleksandr Zinchenko from Manchester City. Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has said he'll rotate his side as they look to win their first title since 2003-04, giving Tierney the game time he's after.
Chronicle Live spoke with chief Arsenal reporter for Football London, Kaya Kaynak for an insight into Tierney's season so far and what it might take to prize him away from the Emirates.
How has Tierney fared this season?
Kaya Kaynak: "It's been a tough season so far for Kieran Tierney. He came into it recovering from the knee injury that ruled him out of the backend of last campaign, and missed preseason as a result.
"He got back pretty well though and was on the bench for the season opener at Crystal Palace. In the early days, he and Alex Zinchenko had a pretty decent battle going for the left back spot, particularly when the Ukrainian was out injured.
"However, since the Liverpool game where Mikel Arteta opted to swap Takehiro Tomiyasu over from right back to left back, it's been tough for him. He has been left out of the starting XI, even in games when you might expect him to be playing such as the Europa League round of 16 second leg against Sporting CP.
"He's still a very good player though and proved that with an impressive cameo against Crystal Palace last week."
Do you envisage any changes in his game time?
KK: "It's hard to see anything changing for Tierney at the moment given the way Arsenal have evolved tactically this season. Mikel Arteta wants full backs who can invert and dominate possession like Zinchenko does.
"Tierney can do this, and did it to a decent level at points last season, but Arsenal have generally had more domination of possession with Zinchenko in the side. With Arsenal now out of Europe and both cups, it seems likely that Zinchenko will start most games between now and then end of the season unless he gets an injury."
How well do you think he'd suit a move to Newcastle and does he have any strong attributes that would make him fit in with Eddie Howe's style of play?
KK: "I think Tierney is in many ways a left footed Kieran Trippier. His delivery is almost always excellent and his defensive game is very strong.
"I can't say I've seen enough of Newcastle to make a firm judgement over whether he'd be a perfect stylistic fit, but given how Eddie Howe seems to like to pack the central areas with his midfielders, I'd imagine Tierney would be perfect to take advantage of those wide spaces that are left vacant."
What sort of fee do you think he would command?
KK: "It's tough to say exactly. Arsenal paid £25million for Tierney and they certainly won't want to let him go for less than that. He also has three years left on his contract so the Gunners have no requirement to sell at this time.
"On top of that, if he does leave, then Arsenal would probably need to find a replacement on Tierney's level, which would cost them a fair bit of money. That said though, Newcastle might point to his injury record as a reason for a lower fee.
"Throw in the fact that he's not played as much as usual this season and his value is probably lower than last summer, when fees of around £50million were being mentioned. I think a fee of around £30-35million would be fair, but let's see."
Do you think a move away from the Emirates is likely this summer?
KK: "I think if Arsenal can get a replacement in then yes. There is a school of thought that Takehiro Tomiyasu could have been Alex Zinchenko's back up going forward, but given that he's out for a very long time with a knee injury that could scupper that plan.
"They have a promising academy left back called Lino Sousa but he is only 18 and probably not ready for the first team just yet. That makes things complicated.
"However, if Newcastle put up a decent offer, then it's possible that Arsenal could be tempted. Letting such a good player go would not be easy though."
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