Report: Kieran Tierney move from Celtic to Arsenal is off

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Arsenal have reportedly been sent packing by Celtic once again in their pursuit of Kieran Tierney

According to Marca (18:46), the Gunners had made a third offer in the region of €33million. That roughly equates to just under £30m. But the Daily Record have claimed that Celtic have rejected it once again, leaving Arsenal looking elsewhere.

It’s unclear as to how much of this would’ve be paid upfront. Celtic’s reported valuation for Tierney was £25m (Daily Mail), however, has apparently proven too much for Arsenal to pay. The new deal, according to the Record, was still littered with staggered payments.

Arsenal had already failed with two bids so previously. Celtic hold all of the aces in any deal given the fact the player is tied to Parkhead for the long-term. There has been no reported discontent from Tierney either, and that also helps Celtic’s cause.

And the Hoops had already shown they weren’t interested in a bunch of clauses in any deal either. Arsenal’s second offer reportedly reached the £25m valuation, but was also littered with conditions and clauses (BBC).

Rejected third bid sends out the right statement

If this offer from Arsenal was genuine, then it’s yet another that Celtic have done the right thing in doing by knocking back. They’ve sent out the right message so far about how they won’t be lowballed for their hero. If Arsenal’s deal didn’t provide the £25m upfront, Celtic were right to tell them where to go.

It’s a saga that’s been lasting all summer, and Celtic have been doing incredibly well to dig their heels in. What’s also being forgotten is how short we would be at left-back without Tierney.

Celtic only have Boli Bolingoli-Mbombo and Jonny Hayes available to feature down that flank. As for Andrew Gutman, he looks far out of the picture at Parkhead at the moment. Whether that’s a quality issue or down to visa issues, who knows?

Selling Tierney would leave us needing a new left-back in desperately. Considering how long it’s taking us to sign a right-back this summer, that’s not a route that many would like to see us go down. So seeing Celtic dismiss the Arsenal offers, and the Gunners subsequently moving on, is great news for the Hoops.

It doesn’t mean the interest in our star man will stop. But if the Record is spot on, it at the very least means this is the final chapter in this particular saga.