Newcastle United see Chelsea star as priority over Arsenal's Kieran Tierney - Reports

According to iNews, Newcastle United are prioritizing signing Chelsea's Lewis Hall over Arsenal's Kieran Tierney in the ongoing summer transfer window. With the team back in the UEFA Champions League for the 2023-24 season, the Magpies are looking to bolster their squad.

Eddie Howe has made signing a left-back a priority and the Toons have previously been linked with a move for Tierney. The 26-year-old defender has fallen out of favor at Arsenal and has found game-time difficult to come by in recent months.

Tierney was not included in the squad for the Gunners' Premier League opener against Nottingham Forest, which Mikel Arteta's side won 2-1.

While Newcastle were previously interested in Tierney, they have reportedly turned their attention towards Hall. The 18-year-old Englishman, who can operate in midfield but has most of his minutes for the senior team at left-back, impressed in the limited opportunities he got during the 2022-23 season for Chelsea.

The Blues have several players who can operate on the left side of the defense, including Marc Cucurella, Ben Chilwell, and Ian Maatsen. Hence, Hall could find it difficult to get regular minutes with the senior team and has reportedly been put on the transfer market by the Blues.

Apart from Hall, the Magpies are also considering taking Cucurella on loan as their back-up plan, the aforementioned report stated.

Ian Wright thinks former Chelsea star Kai Havertz could be a handful at Arsenal

Arsenal signed Kai Havertz from Chelsea during the summer transfer window. The German forward is familiar with English football as he made 139 appearances for the Blues, scoring 32 goals and providing 15 assists.

Havertz has appeared in two competitive matches for Arsenal so far, starting in the Community Shield against Manchester City and in their Premier League opener against Nottingham Forest.

Arsenal legend Ian Wright believes that the German can be problematic for oppositions while playing for the north Londoners as he said (via HITC):

“I have seen that we have played him up front and we have played him back into the midfield. I believe that somebody like Kai Havertz, you mention Thomas Partey, you can have two number eights. You can have Kai Havertz as one if you want or Declan Rice."

Wright added:

“You can play him a little deeper or you can play him in that little bit advanced role. Obviously, we don’t need him as a number nine. But I know that he is somebody that, if he can crash the box, then I believe he will cause a lot of problems for teams.”

During his Chelsea stint, Havertz was often used as the leading attacker and it was evident that the German was uncomfortable in the role. However, a deeper role at Arsenal under Mikel Arteta could help the player regain his best form.