Official: Arsenal have £15 million Kieran Tierney bid rejected

Arsenal’s hunt for a new left-back has taken them to Scotland, as David Ornstein confirms that Arsenal’s £15m bid for Celtic’s Kieran Tierney was rejected.

It’s no secret that Arsenal’s squad has a number of gaping holes in it. They lack leaders, they lack quality wingers, quality centre-backs, and a quality left-back. While some of these issues have lasted for years, it does seem that the club is on the verge of filling at least a few of them, with the search for a left-back beginning this summer.

Arsenal do have 2 left-backs at the club – Sead Kolasinac is a hot-and-cold type player, who gets into good attacking positions but too often wastes the final ball, and too often gets exposed in defence. Nacho Monreal on the other hand, was excellent in his prime but is now coming toward the end of his career, at least at the top level.

So Unai Emery’s search for a left-back seems to have taken him and Arsenal’s negotiations team to Scotland, where the excellent Kieran Tierney has been plying his trade with boyhood club Celtic for a few years now. Arsenal’s opening bid of £15 million was rejected by Celtic, but the clubs are reportedly confident in being able to strike a deal. The eventual fee is expected to be closer to £25 million or so.

While Tierney isn’t exactly proven in a top league, he is the exact type of player that Arsenal needs to be looking at. As full-backs are becoming more and more important in the modern game, Tierney’s age, potential, and price tag are all very attractive to a club like Arsenal who are looking for bargains that could prove to be top players in the future.

By the end of the transfer window, expect Scotland’s Kieran Tierney to be an Arsenal player, as there doesn’t seem to be too much interest elsewhere, and the Emirates Stadium would be an excellent place for him to hit the next level as a footballer.