With one game left of their 2022/23 Premier League season, Newcastle United will be turning their attentions to the summer transfer window soon enough.
The Magpies have qualified for the Champions League and Eddie Howe will know that his current squad isn’t strong enough to sustain a challenge in both the premier European competition and the English top-flight.
To that end, Howe and his recruitment department will need to quickly identify which targets are within their budget and are available.
Whilst the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) are believed to have vast reserves of wealth, to their credit, they haven’t done as Todd Boehly has at Chelsea and thrown money at just about any player that’s available in the hope that it works.
The owners have allowed Howe to go about his work and have been rewarded with the club’s first European sojourn in years.
One player that well-informed journalist, Charles Watts, believes will be part of that adventure in 2023/24 is Arsenal’s out-of-favour star, Kieran Tierney.
“Kieran Tierney that is certainly a player I am expecting to leave this summer. Again, like Smith Rowe, I look at it and think ‘do you really want to sell him?’ But from the player’s point of view, he knows he’s not first-choice, he’s not getting many minutes, he’s been frustrated this season,” he said on his YouTube channel.
“He wants to play, you have Newcastle in the running, he’ll be looking at that. Howe always liked Tierney, he wanted him at Bournemouth, it ticks a lot of boxes. Arsenal will be looking at that, they need to get some money in this summer and you have a potential big-money deal there.
“That’s one I fully expect to happen, how much they can get? I don’t know, Arsenal spent around £30m to get Tierney, they won’t want any less than that, so you’re looking at a big transfer fee there.”
With Arsenal potentially looking to splash the cash on players such as West Ham United’s Declan Rice, any cash from player sales will surely be welcomed by the north London hierarchy.
From Tierney’s point of view, a fresh start will surely appeal, particularly in a team that’s been so entertaining and hard-working as Newcastle.