hero Pat Nevin has revealed that the club ignored his advice to sign left-back Kieran Tierney.
The Scot joined the Gunners from Celtic for a fee of around £25m in 2019 and he’s proven a popular figure with supporters for his full-blooded displays and the attacking thrust he supplies from the left.
Tierney is in line to become Arsenal captain next season following ’s departure as skipper but the Scot has been linked with a move to Real Madrid.
At £25m, Arsenal’s move for Tierney looks a bargain in today’s transfer market and Nevin admits he advised former club Chelsea to make a move for his countryman.
“I tried to get Chelsea to buy him four years ago but they didn’t listen and ended up signing Ben Chilwell from Leicester City for twice as much as Kieran would have cost them
He hasn’t peaked yet, which is quite frightening.
“When I first met him he was a confident boy but he’s subsequently gone beyond that to have this total and utter belief in himself and you can see it by the way he carries himself on the pitch: you just think: ‘He’s got it.’
Nevin believes Tierney would have no problem fitting in at Real Madrid but says it wouldn’t surprise him if Pep Guardiola made an attempt to take him to Manchester City instead.
‘If Kieran did join then I’m convinced he would have no problem fitting in there — he wouldn’t need time to settle or adjust,’ Nevin continued.
‘He’s good enough to join any club in the world and hit the ground running.
‘Andy Robertson is a fabulous full-back, so I’m not criticising him in any way when I say Tierney is the better all-round player of the two.
‘It’s probably the first time since Kenny Dalglish and Graeme Souness in the 1980s when we’ve had two Scots capable of playing for the best teams around.
‘Personally, I think Manchester City would be the perfect club for him.
‘They have a brilliant squad but are a bit short in two positions – left-back and centre-forward – and Pep Guardiola is a serial winner.
‘He spent £100m to sign Jack Grealish from Aston Villa so he’d easily be able to meet Arsenal’s price. Plus, if they finally win the Champions League this season then how do you strengthen the best team in Europe? Signing Kieran would be a good start
Nevin even believes Tierney could one day win the Ballon D’or.
‘Kieran is already one of the best footballers on the planet. He’s more than comfortable in the Premier League, which means he could play anywhere,’ he continued.
‘I genuinely believe he can go on to win the Ballon d’Or.
‘Only one defender – Fabio Cannavarro, who captained the Italian World Cup-winning side in 2006 – has ever won that prize but it’s not impossible for KT to emulate him.
‘For that to happen three things need to happen. First, he has to be playing for one of the biggest clubs and winning trophies.
‘Secondly, he has to avoid being around at the same time as geniuses like Maradona or Lionel Messi or goal machines like Cristiano Ronaldo.
‘Finally, he has to offer something different and the way he’s combining his attacking instincts with intelligence in that centre-back role means that’s already happening.’
