Arsenal: Kieran Tierney might be smartest summer deal

Arsenal made six exciting signings in this summer’s transfer window. But of all six, it is Kieran Tierney who might be the smartest of the lot.

It is largely considered that Arsenal had an excellent summer transfer window. While there were concerns that their continued absence from the Champions League and reported measly transfer budget would hamper their business, by August 8th, it was clear: the Gunners had enjoyed a very successful window.

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Much of the excitement regarding their business has centred on Nicolas Pepe, the £72 million club-record signing from Lille. He was formerly considered too expensive to ever bring to the Emirates, but when news broke in late July that a deal might be possible, fans rather quickly lost their minds.

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William Saliba also attracted a lot of attention. Rarely do you spend £27 million on an 18-year-old, Arsenal so desperate to sign him that they were willing to loan him back to Saint-Etienne despite their deplorable centre-back depth just to get the deal done. Meanwhile, Dani Ceballos was named the under-21 European Championships Player of the Tournament in 2017 and was only available because he was competing with Toni Kroos and Luka Modric. It was clear why anticipation rose upon his arrival.

But amidst all this furore and frenzy, perhaps the smartest deal of the window was actually the most boring. A Scotsman. A defender. A fairly normal transfer fee. A name not ending in ‘inho’.

Arsenal signed left-back Kieran Tierney from Celtic in a £25 million deal without too much competition. While the deal dragged on throughout the summer, it flew under the radar in comparison to its flashier counterparts. But that oversight should not degrade from the undeniable value of the transfer.

At 22, Tierney could lock down the left-back position for the next decade. If he doesn’t, it will be because he has been sold, and that will be for a healthy profit. He is young, a terrific athlete, which is essential in a modern-day full-back who must relentlessly bound up and down the pitch, and even has Champions League experience.

He has been everpresent in the treble-treble-winning Celtic side, is a well-regarded leader and character in the dressing room, and has all the skills you would possibly want in a left-back. His only flaws are his injury history, which is not all that concerning and largely dependent on the luck of the draw, and the fact that he has spent all of his playing time in the Scottish Premier League.

And Arsenal got all this for £25 million, the same fee Aston Villa paid for Tyrone Mings. In the egregiously explosive modern market, that is a sensational price. When Ben Chilwell was being earmarked for a £50-60 million, getting the same player for half the price sounds quite alright to me.

Of course, the Pepe deal is the one that makes the heart jump. The Saliba deal is intriguing and the Ceballos one, cute. But of all the transfer business that Arsenal conducted this summer, Tierney might well be the smartest. Now we just need to see him play.