Arsenal are keen on signing Celtic defender Kieran Tierney, who is tied to the Premiership club until May 2023.
But they have a long road ahead of them to seal this signing as according to BBC, Celtic have rejected Arsenal’s second and improved offer of around £25m for the fullback.
The left-back made 40 appearances across all competitions managing one goal and 6 assists as the Hoops lifted their third consecutive domestic treble.
Let’s look at the pros and cons of signing the Scotland International Kieran Tierney.
PROS
The Celtic man primarily features as a left-back and possesses the ability to ease in at centre-back or a left-midfield role, thanks to his versatile nature on the pitch.
Tierney is a typical modern-day fullback who enjoys making overlapping runs stamping his authority in the attacking phase of the game.
He is a decent passer of the ball and is someone who boasts excellent passing range under his belt.
The Scotsman averaged a pass success rate of 75.7% with 1.7 key passes, 1 cross and 3.8 long balls per game across all competitions which highlight his ability to create goal-scoring opportunities in the final third.
The 22-year-old’s comfortable nature with the ball at his feet and his pace and technical skill to glide past opposition players will be a major boost to Gunners boss Unai Emery who lacks quality in key areas on the pitch.
He managed 1.2 dribbles and 0.5 shots per 90 minutes, which speaks volumes of his offensive threat, an essential characteristic for any elite modern-day fullback.
One thing which makes him stand apart from the other options in the market currently is his defensive prowess, something which is missing among most of the fullbacks coming through the ranks.
His work-rate and concentration shown on the pitch are some of his added strengths. He recorded 1.7 tackles, 2.2 interceptions and 2.5 clearances per game last season.
All these things are a testament to Tierney’s huge potential and his all-round ability over the course of 90 minutes.
CONS
The Celtic fullback doesn’t boast any major flaws and is more or less a perfect choice for the Emirates club.
However, he has spent all his career outside of the top five European leagues and a difference in the quality of the respective competitions could make it difficult for him to succeed in the English top-flight.
Another major concern would be his propensity to pick up injuries seeing he has had to stay on the sidelines for a considerable number of days in each of his last three seasons.
The north London club has a long history of injury-stricken players not able to reach their full potential, and there is a chance this could turn into another such case.
Stat Courtesy: Transfermarkt, Whoscored
