Newcastle United were quoted £30million to sign Kieran Tierney from Arsenal back in 2023.
Newcastle were looking for left-back additions with Tierney emerging as a potential target as they prepared for Champions League football ahead of the 2023-24 season. The Magpies ultimately walked away from a deal due to the price involved as Tierney ended up spending the season on loan at Real Sociedad.
Newcastle then made a move to sign Lewis Hall from Chelsea on an initial loan deal that was made permanent last summer for £28million. After a slow start to his Newcastle career, Hall emerged as a top performer under Eddie Howe during the first half of the 2024-25 campaign before his season was cut short due to injury.
Now Hall is looking to return to action in pre-season for Newcastle, meanwhile Tierney has been released by Arsenal and is set to join a new club.
Arsenal confirm Kieran Tierney release
Two years after quoting £30million for Tierney, Arsenal confirmed the defender’s release when publishing their retained list this week.
Tierney’s contract at Arsenal expires on June 30 and is one of a few notable players departing the club. In addition to the Scotland international, midfielder Jorginho is also out of contract while Raheem Sterling’s loan move from Chelsea is set to expire.
The 28-year-old joined Arsenal from Celtic in 2019 for £25million and went on to make 144 appearances for The Gunners, scoring six goals. Tierney scored on his final appearance for the club in a 2-1 win at Southampton last month.
Now he is set to return to Scotland for the 2025-26 campaign.
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Kieran Tierney has already found a ‘new’ club
Tierney’s former club Celtic confirmed earlier this year that they had agreed a pre-contract with the left-back that will see him return to Parkhead on a free transfer in July.
Tierney made 170 appearances for Celtic as a youngster before making the switch to Arsenal.
Newcastle United open to free agent market
There are obvious advantages to free agent signings given the strains of Premier League Profitability and Sustainability Rules.
Newcastle are open to free agent signings having made two last summer in Lloyd Kelly and John Ruddy. The Magpies also tried to sign Tosin Adarabioyo as a free agent but the defender ended up joining Chelsea instead.
Striker Jonathan David is a sought-after free agent Newcastle have been monitoring though the chances of striking a deal with the Canadian are understood to be slim. David’s Lille teammate Angel Gomes is another free agent attracting interest this summer while back in the Premier League, Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been a long-term target for Eddie Howe.
Goalkeeper Fraser Forster has also been linked ahead of his release from Tottenham Hotspur. While the 37-year-old won’t seriously threaten the starting places, he would help Newcastle fill the club-trained UEFA squad quota in the Champions League.
Newcastle haven’t had too much luck with free transfers in recent seasons with Kelly leaving without really making an impact other than the significant profit made from selling him on. John Ruddy is set to leave without making a competitive appearance while the likes of Jeff Hendrick and Ryan Fraser proved to be rather troublesome signings despite joining the club for nothing.
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