Arsenal may be forced to change their direction in their pursuit for a new left-back after negotiations with Celtic for Kieran Tierney look to have broken down.
The Gunners made the Scottish International their number one target this summer but have already had two bids rejected by the Scottish Champions and now look to be struggling to reach an agreement over a structured deal to meet the club’s valuation.
Unai Emery’s side made an improved offer which would potentially see Arsenal eventually pay £25million for Tierney, but that would depend on a number of bonus clauses and payments over a long period of time rather than cash up front.
In response, Celtic have made it clear that they will not sell unless the full £25m fee is paid up front. Unlikely to be in a position to meet their demands, Arsenal’s recruitment team will now be working on other potential targets ahead of the new season.
But who should those targets be?
What Arsenal are looking for in a new left-back
Veteran left-back Nacho Monreal is nearing the end of his playing career while question marks remain over Sead Kolasinac's defensive work.
Tierney fits the profile of what Arsenal want in a new left-back.
He is defensively solid, can create chances going forward and is a natural leader at the back.
At only 22, he is also young and full of potential to improve further, and has shown he has the versatility and all-round ability to play under a tactician such as Emery, having excelled for Brendan Rodgers in Glasgow.
Perhaps most importantly, a viable alternative to Tierney must carry a transfer window below £10million if Arsenal are to make an offer with cash up front.
Below are four players to fit the bill.
All transfer values and performance data according to WyScout.
Thomas Ouwejan
Club: AZ alkmaar
Age: 22
Value: £3.5million
AZ alkmaar boast a rich history of bringing talented players through their academy, and Ouwejan is one of the latest to come through the ranks.
The 22-year-old is diligent defender of his flank and made 4.65 interceptions per 90 minutes and won over 62% of his defensive duels last season.
At five-foot-10-inches, he isn’t the tallest, but he still managed to come out on top in 50% of his aerial duels.
However, it is in possession that we really see Ouwejan come to life. First and foremost, he combines well with team-mates in tight areas by playing short, quick passes to overload and isolate the opposing defensive players - he had a pass success rate of 85% last season.
Averaging 1.54 progressive runs per 90 minutes, he is a great runner with the ball and indeed a capable crosser. He registered six assists last season.
Ouwejan has also shown an eye for goal, especially when finishing across the face of the goalkeeper - his two goals last season came from efforts fired into the farside of the net.
There is a lot to like about Ouwejan. He boasts a slightly better record than Tierney in a slightly more competitive league. But most importantly, he carries a transfer value of just £3.5million.
Cristiano Biraghi
Club: Fiorentina
Age: 26
Value: £9million
Older than Tierney, Biraghi still has his best days ahead of him.
At six-foot he is proficient if unremarkable at defending high balls played into the area.
He had a decent aerial duel success rate of 44.7% last season, slightly better than Monreal who averaged a success rate 44.3%.
On the floor he won 54.6% of his defensive duels last season in Serie A which is almost identical to the output of Luke Shaw at Manchester United. However, this is still an uninspiring success rate when considering Monreal could boast a defensive duel success rate of 73.79%.
Yet like Shaw he counter-balances this potential inefficiency by his impact when driving forward with the ball at his feet. Last season he averaged 1.37 progressive runs per 90 minutes.
Only 14 Premier League left-backs could better that average in the Premier League last season.
In the final third, he tends to look for clever cut backs across the box, averaging 0.45 key passes per 90 minutes. Only four left-backs in the Premier League bettered that average last season and one was Sead Kolasinac who ranked top with an average of 0.62 per 90 minutes.
Not just shrewd with his cut back passes, Biraghi can also deliver good crosses into the area. He averaged 5.17 per 90 in the 2018/19 campaign, with a success rate of 38.5%. No left-back in the Premier League could better that output and only three had a better success rate.
Biraghi registered an impressive six assists last year in the Italian topflight the most for any left-back in the league.
What’s more, the Gunners should be able to sign the defender without breaking the bank this summer.
Nicola Murru
Club: Sampdoria
Age: 24
Value: £7million
Murra enjoyed a fine campaign in Serie A last season.
His ability going forward was key for his side in attack last season with the Italian great at driving forward with the ball and averaged 1.4 progressive runs per 90 minutes.
The left-back beat his man with 57.6% of his attempted dribbles - an output that would rank him inside the top 15 in the Premier League.
In the final third, he averaged 1.69 successful passes into the box per 90 minutes. This contributed to him registering a decent four assists for the campaign, the second highest tally from left-back in Serie A.
However, his Expected assists (xA) total suggests he should have had closer to five given the quality of chances he created for his team-mates.
Strong in attack, it’s his equally imposing defensive abilities that should make him so appealing.
He boasts good pace and can quickly read and intercept opposition attacks, he averaged 5.29 interceptions per 90 minutes last season, an output similar to Shaw at United.
In the air he came out on top in 63.1% of his defensive duels last season.
Murru is a good age and wouldn’t demand a huge fee while still bringing quality to the Arsenal squad - all of those factors make him an intriguing alternative to Tierney this summer.
Rafa Soares
Club: Vitoria Guimaraes SC
Age: 24
Value: £3.5million
Soares has matured a lot since his unsuccessful loan move to Fulham back in the 2017/18 season.
He left Porto last summer in search of more regular football and joined Vitoria Guimaraes.
Now 24, and confirmed as a key first team player, he is developing into a dependable defender.
With the intelligence to cope with quick wingers and the strength to hold off opponents in direct duels for possession he won just short of 70% of his defensive duels last season - only two Premier League left-backs bettered that last season.
He is pacey and fleet-footed in attack and made an average of 1.35 successful dribbles per 90 minutes last season.
The Portuguese left-back is very left-footed but his quality in the cross means it causes him few issues getting the ball into the box - he averaged 3.7 crosses per 90 minutes last season with a success rate of 34.6%.
Although he registered four assists, he is another player whose xA suggested he should have recorded closer to five or six assists for last years campaign.
Like Murro, a move for Soares shouldn’t invite a huge fee and he looks to be a player improving season on season.
