Celtic great Kenny Dalglish has stated that clubs could be put off Kieran Tierney due to his injury record.
So far in this transfer window, only Arsenal have had reported bids rejected. They recently saw a second offer for the left-back dismissed by the Hoops (BBC), who reportedly want £25million for their star-man (Daily Mail).
But everyone knows that Tierney went through a trying summer. The youngster went through a double hernia operation, and he’s still continuing to build up his fitness levels. This has led to Tierney failing to play a single minute of football since pre-season started this summer.
And Dalglish, speaking in Football Scotland, claimed that his lack of minutes recently could be halting other clubs from bidding for him.
“So, we will see where this transfer situation goes over the next few weeks before the transfer windows close in England and Italy. Any clubs who are interested may be joined by others if the player, who has been recovering from surgery, plays in the next week or two.
“During the 2018-19 season, Kieran had problems with a hip injury, and is on record as saying he was in constant pain. That led to a double hernia operation a few weeks ago.
“That is likely a concern to some clubs as they would possibly be reluctant to spend a serious amount of money on a player who has only played 10 competitive games or so in this calendar year. Only time will tell.”
Kenny Dalglish comments hold some weight
It’s a plausible theory put forward here by the former Celtic striker. Tierney did only manage nine games between January and the end of last season. Even though he made 40 appearances last term, the vast majority came in the first half of the campaign.
There’s no denying that Tierney is a top talent, but clubs move on quickly in football with regards to their targets. If clubs were eyeing up our man last summer, his lack of action in the second half of the season could’ve easily led to them pursuing other targets who impressed during that period.
Of course, it hasn’t put off Arsenal. But who’s to say the interest wouldn’t have been higher this summer had he featured more last term? It can also work both ways in truth. Now could be the right time for clubs to strike for Tierney. Celtic could’ve perhaps have been able to have a higher valuation had their been further interest and a bidding war ensued.
There are no guarantees that would’ve happened either, however. Celtic will be quite satisfied with the current state of play, as our man is still on a long-term Parkhead contract with no club coming close to reaching his valuation.
This is what should convince Celtic and Tierney to, at the very least, hold out for another year. A big campaign both domestically and in Europe could rocket hs valuation further.
It’s all hypothetical of course. Celtic remain in the driving seat, and certainly won’t welcome any interest in Tierney regardless. As it stands, it’s all panning out nicely for the Hoops.
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