Arsenal are reportedly looking to sign Layvin Kurzawa to ease injury worries experienced by Kieran Tierney. The Guardian report that the French star is out of contract in the summer.
Tierney is also joined on the crocks list by fellow left-back, Sead Kolasinac. New manager Mikel Arteta will be looking for temporary experience until the pair are fit.
Arsenal are in for Kieran Tierney back-up Layvin Kurzawa
Arteta has been quick to address the turmoil at left-back that has stricken the club.
He said: “We are playing with full-backs that are not full-backs.
“They are wingers or central midfielders and could we afford to lose full-backs? No, but we don’t have any full-backs.”
Tierney was brought from Celtic for a club record fee of £25 million at the end of last summer. However, he is still recovering from a double hernia operation and a shoulder injury.
Kurzawa, 27, is out of contract in the summer and is the ideal short term buy for the Gunners.
The PSG defender is an experienced campaigner with several medals in his collection. A move to the London club could also be a shot in the arm for Kurzawa to restart his career in a new country.
Should Tierney be worried if the Frenchman is brought to the club, even on the short term?
Scotland international feeling the heat already?
Tierney will know himself that it wasn’t always going to be an easy ride in the English Premier League. However, he wouldn’t have believed another extended stretch out for a different injury.
Kurzawa’s qualities and career are familiar to every football fan and he will improve Arsenal.
It will be a fantastic test of Tierney’s character and bottle if he returns to displace Kurzawa. The 22-year-old will be a much better player for it, especially up against an experienced player.
In turn, this will be a massive boost for the Scottish national team as Tierney will continue to battle with Andrew Robertson. Tierney isn’t unfamiliar to pushing someone for the jersey and Kurzawa won’t be any different.
But, game time could be restricted as Kurzawa is entering his peak age as a footballer. PSG would arguably be able to offer that more than Arsenal can with two full-backs in waiting.
It may end up to be a problem that neither player has to worry about.
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