Tierney worth every penny, says Gordon

CRAIG GORDON insists Kieran Tierney is worth every penny of his £25million price tag. After two failed bids, Arsenal are finally ready to pay the highest-ever fee shelled out for a Scottish player. And Gordon, who left Hearts for Sunderland in a hefty £9m deal in 2007, believes his Celtic teammate should have no fears over justifying the huge investment. The English transfer window closes next Thursday at 5pm and, as Sportsmail reported yesterday, Gunners boss Unai

Emery wants the 22-year-old left-back to become his fifth summer signing. ‘Kieran’s got all the ability in the world,’ said Gordon. ‘He’s got the work ethic to go down there and be successful. ‘He’s got the desire to be the best he can be in every single training session and every single game. ‘He leads in all the stats, one of the top two or three in that. That’s because he pushes himself so hard. It’s a great thing to have in anybody’s team. ‘It’ll be great for us if he does stay and continues to play as he has done because he’s been so consistent for so many years now. ‘But, if he goes, it’s a great price tag. It’ll need to be big because he’s so good. ‘Whoever manages to get him playing for them this season is lucky because he’s going to be a massive player, for us or anybody else.’ Gordon carried the burden of what was a huge transfer fee for a Scottish player when Roy Keane paid £9m to take him to Sunderland. Insisting Tierney can’t afford to fret over how much Arsenal pay for his services, the Scotland keeper admitted: ‘For a Scottish player, it is a big price tag. But then you look at some of the other players going for bigger fees. ‘You can’t say Kieran isn’t worth that kind of money. Listen, my fee looks tiny these days in comparison to the deals getting done now, but that’s just the way it’s gone with the market values in the game. ‘It is what it is and I don’t think anyone can put the price tags on the players’ shoulders. It’s nothing to do with them. ‘You almost have to put the fee to one side and not look at the figures and only concentrate on the ability of the player. ‘Kieran has everything you’d want in a modern-day full-back.’ Mentally preparing himself for the possible loss of Tierney, Neil Lennon has already secured Boli Bolingoli as a replacement and would look to bring in one more left-back. ‘We would look to bring another one in as well if KT goes,’ said the Celtic boss. ‘I don’t think there’s any question that we would have to do that anyway.’