Kieran Tierney is Arsenal’s’ unlikely secret weapon in summer transfer race

Arsenal successfully poached the Scottish market two years ago when they signed Kieran Tierney and it could be an avenue they go down once again this summer.

The Gunners are expected to undergo a major rebuild with several senior players leaving after a disappointing campaign as Mikel Arteta invests in the young core.

One of the names that has cropped up as a potential target is Hibs left-back Josh Doig who is attracting interest from plenty of clubs after a brilliant campaign in the Scottish Premiership.

He picked up the Scottish Football Writers’ Association Young Player of the Year award for his efforts and emulated Tierney in doing so who claimed the prize on three separate occasions with Celtic.

And it turns out the Arsenal fan favourite is also a huge role model of Doig's who has followed his career closely since he was a kid.

He said: "Growing up, he was the one (that inspired me).

“Going to games, I always liked to watch him.

“He was so young but he always had that heart and desire, that aggression about him that was very inspiring.

“I always remember my dad saying: ‘Keep an eye on him’.

“You could tell he was going to go far and what he is doing at Arsenal now is absolutely mental.

“He’s someone you want to idolise because of what he has done in his career already.

“He’s had setbacks, too. I know when he was younger he was told he wasn’t big enough. I was the same, I was so skinny and I got released.

“Kieran used those setbacks to drive forward. He is someone every young left-back in Scotland should be idolising.

“He is such a hard-working person and has that drive that you don’t see so much now. He is a top player now and I try to follow his path as much as I can.

“I can’t take it for granted because I know I will need to work hard if I want to get anywhere near him.

“He was at Celtic for a few seasons and was so consistent. That was his main thing and it’s something I am trying to bring to my game week in, week out.

“He was playing brilliantly, scoring goals and assists, too.

“I have looked up the list of past winners, they’re all legends."

Doig speaks so highly of Tierney and now he has a legitimate chance to play alongside his hero if his move to Arsenal does materialise.

There are several Premier League clubs tracking the teenager and it's not going to be straightforward for the Gunners to get the deal over the line.

But there's a good chance the prospect of being Tierney's understudy could be a deciding factor in terms of favouring a switch to the Emirates.

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