Newcastle United are on the hunt for Champions League football in the 2023/24 campaign and are currently sitting fifth in the table as it stands.
The Magpies have two games in hand on Tottenham Hotspur, in fourth, and would go above their rivals and into the top four if they won those matches.
Will Newcastle finish in the top four?
Irrespective of whether or not the club are competing in Europe’s premier competition next season, Dan Ashworth and Eddie Howe could look to bolster the squad by dipping into the market in the summer transfer window.
What’s the latest on Newcastle’s interest in Kieran Tierney?
The Sunday Mirror have reported that the Magpies are keen on signing Kieran Tierney from Premier League rivals Arsenal at the end of the season.
He is said to be open to the idea of moving to St. James’ Park as the defender is keen on regular first-team football and that could open the door for Ashworth to swoop in the summer.
Journalist Pete O’Rourke recently told GIVEMESPORT that the 5 foot 10 full-back would be an “upgrade” on the club’s current left-back options, something backed up by his statistics in recent campaigns.
Oleksandr Zinchenko has usurped the Scotland international this season but the ex-Celtic man did catch the eye with his performances in the top-flight last term.
Tierney averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.93 across 22 starts in the division. The full-back created 0.9 chances per match and won 61% of his ground duels, which shows that he was fairly consistent at both ends of the pitch in creating opportunities for his teammates and winning physical battles for the side.
Dan Burn, meanwhile, has averaged a score of 6.84 and managed 0.4 key passes per match. The giant defender has also lost 59% of his ground duels in the top flight, although the gem has won 68% of his aerial contests, with these statistics indicating that Tierney would be a big upgrade on the Englishman in terms of his defending on the deck and his attacking quality.
Ray Parlour once hailed the £110k-per-week Arsenal defender as an “exciting” player and his 1.1 key passes per game and five ‘big chances’ created in 26 Premier League starts in 2020/21 backs that up, as the left-back has proven his ability to consistently create chances for his team at the top level.
The 25-year-old, who registered 37 assists in 180 matches for Celtic earlier in his career, is also five years younger than Burn and could, therefore, offer more to the club as a long-term asset.
Tierney was once dubbed a “machine” by journalist Simon Collings and the fact that the enforcer has won at least 61% of his ground duels in three of his four Premier League campaigns suggests that he is a monster in physical battles and could be a strong defender for the Magpies.
Add in his age and the huge attacking boost he would give the side, in comparison to Burn, and that is why Ashworth must sign the Scottish battler.