Celtic left back Kieran Tierney has agreed terms on a triple-your-money contract with Premier League giants Arsenal, according to Football Insider.
The outlet claims that the Scotland international has an agreement in place with the Gunners over a contract that will see his £25,000-per-week wages tripled.
Neil Lennon’s side have been in discussions with the north London outfit over a potential Parkhead exit for the 22-year-old, with Arsenal increasingly confident of sealing a deal.
The transfer is expected to be worth north of £20million, but the Hoops are not happy with the Gunners’ attempts to pay the fee in instalments, rather than an outright payment.
What’s he done?
Outspoken former England international Chris Sutton is just one ex player who is very high on Tierney. In late June he took to Twitter to give his opinion on the Celtic star, comparing his transfer value to that of £50million Manchester United man Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
“Wan Bissaka is not twice the player Tierney is,” he wrote on his personal Twitter account. “They are very similar attribute wise…[John] Stones was never a better player than [Virgil] Van Dijk yet was four times more…English clubs get players from Scotland on the cheap. About time Scottish clubs dug their heels in…”
Wan Bissaka is not twice the player Tierney is. They are very similar attribute wise…Stones was never a better player than Van Dijk yet was four times more…English clubs get players from Scotland on the cheap. About time Scottish clubs dug their heels in… https://t.co/X4XnJfBewf
— Chris Sutton (@chris_sutton73) June 26, 2019
Former Arsenal and Celtic striker John Hartson is another who is a big fan of Tierney, writing on his personal Twitter account: Kt situation is Arsenal have made an offer of 15m for the player.. it’s taking the P***.. Celtic rightly have refused as they don’t want to sell. Arsenal to up the stakes to 20m with addons. 25m.. then it’s Celtic’s call. They could just say no of course !”
Kt situation is Arsenal have made an offer of 15m for the player.. it’s taking the P***.. Celtic rightly have refused as they don’t want to sell.Arsenal to up the stakes to 20m with addons. 25m.. then it’s Celtic’s call. They could just say no of course !
— John Hartson (@JohnHartson10) June 24, 2019
Who is he?
This is the thing, Tierney has only played his league football in Scotland, which is no comparison to the Premier League. The Scottish top flight does get a bad rap, though, and the success of players like Virgil van Dijk and the relative struggles of someone like Jermain Defoe with Rangers perhaps suggests that people are too harsh on the quality of football north of the border.
Tierney is a serial winner, though, bringing a championship mind-set which is sorely lacking at the Emirates. He’s won four Scottish Premiership titles, two Scottish Cups and two Scottish League Cups.
From an individual perspective, the youngster has bagged a treble of PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year awards, three Celtic Young Player of the Year awards, and is a three-time participant in the PFA Scotland Team of the Year. Not bad for a 22-year-old, eh?