Perfect opportunity for West Ham United to replace Aaron Cresswell on cards as Kieran Tierney transfer news emerge
West Ham United are interested in signing Arsenal defender Kieran Tierney this summer and an exciting development has emerged presenting a perfect opportunity to replace Aaron Cresswell.
The Scotland international has been resigned to a bit-part role at the Emirates Stadium losing his place in the side to Oleksandr Zinchenko, and the 25-year-old defender is open to an exit for more regular football elsewhere.
90min reported on 8 March that the Hammers are interested in his services this summer sharing that Mikel Arteta wants to keep the four-time Scottish Premiership champion but is aware that a lack of regular football is an issue for him.
“Sources have told 90min that Tierney has at no point questioned his role within Arsenal’s squad, but his lack of minutes has piqued the attention of a number of other clubs,” they wrote.
“90min understands that Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta would love to keep Tierney in north London for the long-term, but the Spaniard recognises that a lack of regular first-team football may become an issue for the 35-cap Scotland international.
“Aston Villa, West Ham and Leeds are believed to be keeping tabs on his situation.”
Given the stark rebuild, the Hammers will potentially be undergoing this summer, their interest in the Arsenal full-back makes perfect sense and one area which needs urgent addressing is at left-back with Cresswell on the verge of leaving the London Stadium this season.
The 33-year-old is facing an uncertain future at the London Stadium with his contract expiring in June and there have been no talks regarding any renewal of his contract which means West Ham United will be looking to identify contingency plans in the coming months.
And a major development has emerged regarding Tierney’s situation at the Emirates Stadium which could prove a tantalising prospect for the Hammers’ recruitment staff.
According to the Daily Mail [29 April], Arsenal are willing to listen to offers for the Scottish international with Mikel Arteta looking to fund big moves this summer, potentially and most likely one for West Ham United captain Declan Rice which provides the Irons with a potential swap deal or using Rice as a makeweight to address their left-back issue.
Tierney has only started five times in the division for Arsenal this season but did show promise in his 22 starts in the top flight in the 2021/22 campaign – averaging a 6.93 [SofaScore] and winning 61% of his ground duels and 52% of his total duels.
Over the last 365 days, the Scotsman has averaged an impressive 9.81 [FBref] progressive passes and carries combined per 90 in the Premier League and European competitions, whilst Cresswell has managed 7.18 combined per 90 minutes.
The 25-year-old ranks amongst the best left-backs in Europe’s top five leagues for his progressive metrics, ranking in the top 6% of full-backs for progressive passes and top 10% for progressive carries showing he’s got a lot to offer in possession.
Tierney also excels in his defensive work too exerting himself as the complete full-back, something Cresswell has consistently failed to show throughout his time at London Stadium making this a no-brainer transfer move this summer.