According to reports, Everton are closing in on a £30 million capture of Kieran Tierney. The Scottish International has been strongly linked with a move to the Premier League this summer following his impressive performances in the Premiership for a couple of seasons now.
It is believed that Everton boss Marco Silva is keen on securing the services of a reliable left back to address Everton’s lack of depth in that particular position. Veteran defender Leighton Baines is linked with a move away from Goodison Park with MLS clubs already keen on his signature.
As a result, Everton have focused their interest on Kieran Tierney, who is unarguably one of the most promising defenders in British football. After starting his professional career at Celtic, the 21-year-old has emerged as a prominent figure in their starting eleven.
Especially in the last couple of seasons, Tierney has played a key role in helping the Celts retain their dominance in Scottish football. The talented fullback has made over 130 appearances in all competitions. But, he enjoyed his most productive season last campaign when he made 28 league outings as well as making six Champions League appearances.
His performance against Bayern Munich in the group stage, in particular, grabbed a lot of eyeballs in European football and had even attracted the interest of the Bundesliga giants. And many believe, the 21-year-old should finally look to take the next step in his career and Everton, in that regard, can provide the ideal platform.
The Toffees are poised to undergo drastic changes following the arrival of Marco Silva. And the defensive unit has certainly been identified as a weakness.
Especially in the left-back position, Brendan Galloway is the only reliable option available to the Portuguese mastermind should Baines depart Goodison Park this summer. Thus, the acquisition of someone like Kieran Tierney will come as a sigh of relief not just for the coach but for the fans as well.
As iterated earlier, the Celtic starlet has shown a lot of promise during his time in Scotland and could prove to be a tailor-made fit for Silva’s tactical philosophy. His athleticism coupled with his attacking traits in the final third are the ideal characteristics needed in order to thrive in the English top flight. Hence, one would expect him to have no problems in settling into life at Everton.
That being said, the Merseyside giants are already tipped to sign Barcelona star Lucas Digne, which could raise doubts regarding the transfer of Tierney. Therefore, it will be interesting to see how this transfer saga takes shape in the coming days.
Stats courtesy: Transfermarkt
