Arsenal star Kieran Tierney has been tipped to join Manchester City this summer by Andy Cole, despite starting just four Premier League matches this season. The defender has predominantly come off of the bench (16 times) having fallen behind Oleksandr Zinchenko in the pecking order at the Emirates Stadium.
Tierney was a crucial player during the first few years of Mikel Arteta’s reign in north London, with his defensive strength and desire to push forward making him a solid option on the left. His leadership qualities also made him a potential captain option after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was offloaded, according to Martin Keown.
He said: “Now Arteta has acted, he’s got the chance to select his own skipper. Under his management, I believe Kieran Tierney has been the standout player who could fulfil that role.”
However, Arteta soon decided that he wanted his fullbacks to play in a more inverted role, which saw Tierney wiped from the team sheet fairly promptly. Zinchenko was acquired from City over the summer in a deal worth £32million, and the Ukraine international has been one of the stars of the season since making the move. Tierney is thus now weighing up his options, with Newcastle leading the race to secure his signature.
Other top European sides have been alerted to the 25-year-old’s situation too, and former Manchester United star Cole believes that City could be a potential destination. He told King Casino Bonus: “I like Kieran Tierney, he’s had a few problems with injuries but he is talented. If Arsenal are prepared to sell him, he would not be struggling for options.
“If Manchester City are in for him, I could see that working, but he’d be competing with Ben Chilwell, who is linked to Manchester City too. Tierney will want to play, and if he doesn’t continue to get any game time, he’ll be looking to go somewhere else in the summer.
“If you look at Tierney’s situation previously, you have to ask what did he actually do wrong? He’s never let Arsenal or Mikel Arteta down, of course, he’s had a few injuries but he’s always played well. He’s a kid with a brilliant attitude.
“If he sees a chance to get more game time I’m sure he’ll put his head down and work for it, but I would not be surprised if he took the option to move on and play more.” City are expected to be in the market for defensive reinforcements on the left in the summer, with Nathan Ake currently being deployed in an unfavoured left-back role after Joao Cancelo was loaned out to Bayern Munich in January.
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