Kieran Tierney's exit from Arsenal this summer 'could be getting done' despite his quality, according to pundit Frank McAvennie.

Who could leave Arsenal this summer?

Members of Mikel Arteta's squad have been tipped to leave this summer given their status as fringe players, with Emile Smith Rowe and Tierney among them. The latter man stood out as a fairly key player during Arsenal's fight for the top four last season – having even been among their top ten most regularly-picked assets in the Premier League.

Tierney even chipped in with a goal and three assists over his 22 league starts that year, but this campaign, minutes have been much harder to come by. The signing of Oleksandr Zinchenko has impacted his playing time however, with Tierney starting just five games over 2022/2023 whilst making the vast majority of his appearances off the bench.

As such, the Scotland international leaving north London is a very realistic possibility this summer, with pundit and former West Ham striker McAvennie saying Newcastle United are in the hunt.

Speaking in an interview with Football Insider, the 63-year-old claimed Tierney's departure 'could be getting done' based off what he's 'heard'.

McAvennie explained:

“I have heard that they [Newcastle] are in for Tierney and that could be getting done.

“I could understand that. It would be an ideal situation for Tierney, it is only a few hours away from Glasgow and it would be great for him.

“How he can’t get a game in the Arsenal team is incredible but it is the way they want to play. I just think it is crazy.”

Should Arsenal let Tierney go?

We believe letting the 25-year-old go to Newcastle would be a mistake when you consider the best teams in Europe all have one thing in common – strength in depth. Tierney is a more-than capable option to slot in when required, as perhaps best summed up by William Gallas, who said this on the left-back in March:

"You always need two quality players in every position if you want to be successful in the Premier League. If Tierney goes to Newcastle, then they won’t have that competition.

"You have to find the best solution for all of the parties because I’m sure Tierney wants to play more regularly. Arsenal need to have good, young players who are waiting to come through and prove their quality."

Indeed, the defender could still have a key role to play, both for the remainder of this season and in years to come.