Arsenal: Kieran Tierney or Sead Kolasinac not a competition

Arsenal are close to completing their move for Kieran Tierney, and it seems as though they will swap Sead Kolasinac for the Celtic defender. That is a swap that is not especially competitive.

Kieran Tierney is seemingly Arsenal’s key priority this summer transfer window. More than a month into the window and with very little business having been conducted, the Celtic defender has been the subject of a whole array of media reports claiming that the Gunners are right at the front of the queue.

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The transfer makes a lot of sense. Left-back is a need of the squad. Tierney has just turned 22 and represents an investment in both a long-term solution to the position and a terrific asset with high resale value. He is affordable, with Celtic reportedly demanding £25 million.

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Should Tierney arrive in north London this summer, which is expected, even after Arsenal had two bids rejected, he will be competing with one man for the starting left-back position. But in all reality, it is not really a competition in the first place. Sead Kolasinac was the starting option for most of last season. The bulldozing Bosnian was superb when he bombarded forwards, his bustling power difficult to contain, but he exhibited major defensive shortcomings and was consistently caught out of position.

As a result, Unai Emery was always hesitant to trust him at left-back, usually pivoting to a back three with wing-backs whenever he wanted to feature Kolasinac. Nacho Monreal often started when using a back four. Tierney, then, as a natural full-back and a far superior defender to Kolasinac, should find his way into the picture rather easily.

And this lack of competition extends beyond the pure footballing argument. Tierney is four years younger. Although Kolasinac, at 26, still has plenty of his prime remaining, Tierney is still an improving player. Not only does he offer longer-term security at left-back but he has also not yet reached his full potential.

Additionally, Kolasinac is earning £100,000 per week, his wages inflated somewhat because Arsenal did not pay a fee to secure him two years ago. The rumoured wage for Tierney is closer to £75,000 per week, representing a saving of £1.3 million per year on the wage budget. Throw in a reported £20 million fee for Kolasinac and a £25 million Tierney would pay for himself in four years, and that does not incorporate any sell-on fee either.

Given the financial restrictions Emery and head of football Raul Sanllehi are working under, to address a problem position for essentially nothing should Tierney see out four years at the club would be phenomenal business. This is a move of terrific value, as well as footballing progression.

All in all, then, in signing Tierney and replacing Kolasinac, Arsenal would be improving the left-back position, making it far cheaper, and lowering the age by four years. This really is not a competition.