EXCLUSIVE: West Ham make Kieran Tierney top target

Steve Kay

Updated: 7 Aug 2023 09:05 CDT
3 min read

Kieran Tierney is a shock target for West Ham who are willing to match any other offers from other clubs.

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We are told that the left-back would be a direct replacement for Aaron Cresswell as David Moyes looks to flesh out his side with Premier League experience.

There is a stumbling block at present, however, as we understand that Tierney isn’t interested in a move to the London Stadium.

The Scotland international was looked at by Newcastle earlier in the window but manager Eddie Howe was not convinced as the asking price Arsenal had set was not reflective of the defender’s injury record.

It comes after our exclusive story that Arsenal have wrapped up a deal for Brentford's David Raya.

The keeper, who has just a year left to run on his contract, is to come in and challenge Aaron Ramsdale for the number one spot - and even take his place.

We were told that Mikel Arteta has earmarked him very much as a replacement for Ramsdale, despite the Englishman’s excellent performances for the club since arriving in 2021 for €28m.

Raya to more than challenge Ramsda

“Make no mistake if David Raya is signed by Arsenal he will be brought in as the No.1 goalkeeper,” a source close to the deal told FootballTransfers. “It’s terrible news for Ramsdale.”

It has already been noted that the arrival of Raya would be reminiscent of the situation at Manchester City, when Pep Guardiola controversially decided to ditch long-time hero Joe Hart in favour of Claudio Bravo and, ultimately, Ederson. This allowed Guardiola’s side to have more control playing out from the back.