Arsenal: Kieran Tierney without any net spend? Thank you very much

By selling Sead Kolasinac for £20 million, Arsenal could sign Kieran Tierney at left-back without any net spend whatsoever. That sounds like a great deal to me.

This summer, Arsenal are attempting to make a series of improvements at a series of positions without very much money. That, if you hadn’t already realised, is not a very easy thing to do. They have very little margin for error, both in the sales and signings they make, and they must look to be extremely efficient in everything that they do.

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As a result, if the opportunity to improve any position in the team without really spending any money to do so presents itself, Unai Emery and the club must think very seriously about taking it. They cannot afford to be wasteful. And it looks as though opportunity may have presented itself at one of the key positions of need.

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Emery has not been a fan of his left-back options. Nacho Monreal looks as old as his 32 years plus injuries, while Sead Kolasinac’s offensive prowess is substantially undermined by his inconsistent delivery and is still far more reliable than what he does at the other end. Emery, many believe, would like to have played a back four more frequently last season than he did because he did not trust his full-back options, on both the right and left side.

Next season, Hector Bellerin is set to return at the right-back position but there is not an obvious, in-house candidate at left-back. And so, left-back has been mentioned as one of the likeliest positons to receive investment this summer. Wouldn’t it be great, then, if Arsenal could solve the left-back position without really having to spend any money whatsoever? Well, it looks as though that might just be plausible.

Barcelona are reportedly interested in a potentially £20 million move for Kolasinac. The Gunners, meanwhile, have long been linked with Celtic defender Kieran Tierney, who is a perfect modern-day full-back but with more defensive acumen than the bulldozing Bosnian. Naturally, some have put two and two together.

Tierney is one of the brightest young defensive prospects in Europe. A 22-year-old who has been a regular starter for Celtic since he was 18, Tierney is extremely athletic, is a terrific wide threat, notching 22 assists over the past four Scottish Premiership seasons, but also boasts the defensive awareness and positioning that many modern-day full-backs lack.

He would be an immediate improvement on Kolasinac. He would also cost roughly the same as what Barcelona are reportedly willing to pay for the Arsenal defender. Essentially, Emery could improve the left-back position, replace a 27-year-old with a 22-year-old, and commit a net spend of little more than £5 million.

That seems like a pretty perfect deal to me. So, what are Arsenal waiting for?