Newcastle United keeping tabs on out-of-favour Arsenal defender

Arsenal returned to top spot in the Premier League table thanks to a 4-2 victory over Aston Villa on Saturday. 

The Gunners had occupied first place for more than 100 days before a 3-1 defeat against Manchester City on Wednesday meant The Citizens leapfrogged them.

Mikel Arteta’s side needed to beat The Villans to return to the summit, but they twice fell behind at Villa Park, before a late own goal by Emi Martinez and a fourth from Gabriel Martinelli ensured The Gunners took all three points and returned to top spot.

City were then held to a 1-1 draw by Nottingham Forest at The City Ground later on in the day, which kept the reigning champions in second place.

It isn’t all good news for Arteta, though, as one of his players is reportedly being watched by a fellow Premier League club.

According to Football Insider, Newcastle United are closely monitoring Arsenal’s Scottish left-back Kieran Tierney.

The 25-year-old has fallen behind Oleksandr Zinchenko in the pecking order at The Emirates in recent weeks, with the Ukraine international starting ten of Arsenal’s last 11 league matches.

Tierney is being monitored by Newcastle United

With that in mind, The Magpies are monitoring the player’s situation as they search for a new left-back that could slot straight into Eddie Howe’s side.

Another potential target that they have considered include Fulham’s Antonee Robinson, although the US international has also attracted interest from Manchester City.

Tierney joined The Gunners from Scottish champions Celtic back in 2019, costing the Premier League side around £25 million.

The Scotland international was a regular during his first three seasons with the club, but the arrival of Zinchenko from City last summer has seen Tierney’s first team chances limited.

He has made 16 league appearances so far this term, although he has completed just two matches in the competition all season.

Since joining Arsenal, Tierney has made more than 110 appearances for the club, but he now faces a tough task to regain his starting spot under Arteta.

The defender is contracted to Arsenal until 2026, meaning the north London outfit are under very little pressure to sell the Scot any time soon.