£30m Newcastle United target told his ‘time is up’ after latest snub - set for summer transfer

Tierney was expected to come back into the Arsenal side in the absence of first choice left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko but instead manager Mikel Arteta opted to play centre-back Jakub Kiwior out of position instead. Tierney came on for Kiwior as a second half substitute as The Gunners’ saw out a 1-0 defeat at the City Ground which confirmed a third consecutive Premier League title for Manchester City.

The Scottish international has been strongly linked with a £30million move to Newcastle this summer after falling out of favour at Arsenal this season.

The 25-year-old joined Arsenal from Celtic for £25million in 2019 and has since played 122 times for the club, scoring five goals and registering 14 assists. But the arrival of Oleksandr Zinchenko last summer has seen Tierney’s first-team opportunities limited to just six Premier League starts in 2022-23.

And Tierney’s former Celtic team-mate Kris Commons believes Tierney’s latest starting line-up snub effectively confirms the left-back’s exit.

“From Tierney’s point of view, when there’s an injury crisis and other guys are getting a game ahead of you in your own position, that’s when you know your time is up,” he told the Daily Mail.

“His face obviously just doesn’t fit any more. I think that’s probably the last straw for him at Arsenal and it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see him move on in the summer.

“He’s too good to sit twiddling his thumbs on Arsenal’s bench. If his face doesn’t fit and Arteta doesn’t fancy him, then there will be plenty of suitors elsewhere.

“I think [Newcastle] is a move which would make a lot of sense and tick a lot of boxes for both the club and the player himself. From Newcastle’s point of view, they would be getting one of the best left-backs in Europe, a born winner, and a guy who could be a mainstay in the team for the next 10 years.

“Tierney is still only 25 years old. His peak years are still ahead of him. He’s already proven at the top level with club and country and also has Champions League experience.

“That’s something which Newcastle will be desperate to add in the summer. Players who have Champions League experience and can come in and immediately improve their starting XI.

“Tierney ticks both those boxes quite emphatically - and, crucially, I also think the move would suit him on a personal level.

“We know he has suffered from homesickness in the past. It’s something he has spoken openly about. By moving from London to Newcastle, he would be far closer to his family. His family would only be two or three hours up the road in Glasgow.

“He would also be moving to one of the richest and most ambitious clubs in Europe, where he knows he would play week in, week out.

“What’s clear is that Tierney’s time at Arsenal is nearing an end. He still has three years to run on his contract, so Arsenal will certainly still get good money for him. But when he does move on to pastures new, it’ll be more their loss than Tierney’s.”