Aston Villa put in an enterprising performance last weekend against West Ham United to get the news season off to a dream start. The Villans came away from a tough trip to the London Stadium with all three points thanks to an impressive 2-1 victory, in a huge season for the club; they will play in the Champions League for the first time since its rebrand in 1992.
Indeed, it was goals from debutant Amadou Onana and Jhon Duran, who has been embroiled in a summer of transfer controversy, that gave them the win. The Columbian was close to joining the Hammers during the transfer window, but a move did not materialise. Those goals came either side of a Lucas Paqueta penalty, but Villa held on to get all three points.
The Villans’ first home game of the season, on Saturday evening, will see them host Arsenal in one of the toughest fixtures of the season. The Gunners will be hoping they can finally break their streak of consecutive second-place finishes and win the Premier League this season.
However, matchdays are not just the sole focus at Villa Park for the moment. With the transfer window still open until the 30th of August, Villa may well look to add to their eight signings and have actually been linked to one of the Gunners’ players.
Aston Villa target Arsenal defender
The player in question here is Arsenal and Scotland international left-back Kieran Tierney. The former Celtic star has struggled to find a permanent place in Mikel Arteta’s side over the past few seasons, and could now leave the club this summer.
According to a report from Caught Offside, the Villans are one of the sides linked with the Scot this summer. The report states that there is ‘confirmed interest in the player’ from his former manager in North London, Unai Emery.
However, the former Celtic defender has interest from right across Europe. The Bhoys are one of the clubs interested in bringing their former defender back to the club, with Premier League side Newcastle also considering a move, as well as Spanish trio Girona, Sevilla and Valencia.
In terms of a price for Tierney, the 27-year-old is reportedly available anywhere between a fee of £25m and £30m, a price that ‘will be considered suitable’ by technical director Edu and his colleagues.
Why Tierney would be a good signing
Last season, Tierney had a loan spell in La Liga, at Spanish outfit Real Sociedad. However, it was an incredibly frustrating campaign for the defender, who picked up three different injuries, meaning he played just 27 games in all competitions. 20 of those appearances came in the Spanish top flight, with the Scot grabbing two assists along the way.
Should he make the move to Villa Park, it would see a reunion with former boss Emery. The Spaniard – who signed the defender on a £25m deal from Celtic in 2019 – coached him for just nine games, but the 27-year-old still managed to get two assists, and it could certainly be considered a short but sweet partnership.
However, Emery would not be the only reunion for Tierney should he make the move to Villa Park. He would, of course, get the chance to play with Villans captain and Scotland teammate John McGinn. The left-back has played with the 29-year-old midfielder 40 times in total for Scotland, and the pair have combined for four goals in that time.
Stat
Number
Games together
40
Minutes
3009
Joint goal participation
4
McGinn goal, Tierney assist
3
Tierney goal, McGinn assist
1
McGinn plays as a false winger on the left-hand side for Villa, tucking inside when his side have the ball to act as a number 10. Should he link up with the Arsenal defender at club level, it would see the pair form a partnership down the left wing, with Tierney having the licence to overlap his international teammate down the left-hand side.
This could be the start of a deadly partnership between the pair, who already have the foundations of a relationship on the pitch thanks to their exploits together for Scotland. Given the fact they have already combined for four goals, it could be a fruitful partnership from a goalscoring point of view, too.
The 29-year-old Villa captain was impressive in front of goal last season. He played 35 times in the top flight last term, finding the back of the net on six occasions, and grabbing four assists. It is certainly a run of goalscoring form he could improve on further should he continue the productive relationship with Tierney.
Tierney was described as a “warrior” by legendary left-back and Arsenal invincible Ashley Cole, and for around £30m, could be a smart pickup for Villa before next Friday’s deadline.
Although he has struggled with injuries throughout his career, the left-back is still a player of great quality. Given his experience playing under Emery, and established partnership with McGinn, he could be an astute signing by the Villans as the deadline fast approaches.
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