I’m expecting another bid from Arsenal for Kieran. He’s unsettled just now and I have a lot of sympathy for him...
SAYS NEIL LENNON
NEIL LENNON expects Arsenal to make a third and final bid worth £25million for Scotland left-back Kieran Tierney before the English transfer deadline at 5pm on Thursday.
Torn between loyalty towards his boyhood idols and the prospect of a £70,000-a-week deal in the world’s most high-profile league, Tierney has become an ‘unsettled’ figure, says his manager.
While Arsenal have shown no compunction over spending £72m to buy Pepe from Lille or lavishing £27m on 18-year-old Saint-Etienne defender William Saliba — then lending him back — they have displayed a curious reluctance to meet Celtic’s terms for Tierney as a stand-off situation has developed.
While Celtic and Arsenal engage in a bout of Russian roulette with a loaded pistol, Tierney finds himself in a state of uncertainty.
‘Nothing has changed yet,’ says Lennon. ‘It’s not speaking from insider knowledge but, in my experience, another bid will come in. I’d be surprised if it didn’t.
‘I’d be delighted if it didn’t but the good thing is we will know either way by the end of the week.
‘It’s not our problem but the next few days might be spent sitting by the phone.’
In an era when Celtic could still compete with the wages of English Premier League sides, Lennon had a taste of what Tierney is going through when he left Leicester City in 2000.
‘I’ve been in Kieran’s position, so I have a lot of sympathy for him, when maybe a lot of people wouldn’t,’ he says. ‘But I know what it’s like to have to keep adjusting your mindset if things do not go as expected.
‘This is where this generation is at a disadvantage because it comes at them from all angles, with social media and people surmising or giving opinions, making up rumours.
‘It’s not just the media, it’s every angle. He’s got a good, stable home life to keep him in check.
‘I make sure of how he’s doing and we’re supportive of him whatever happens.’
Complicating matters is a long-standing groin problem that has afflicted the left-back, who is currently working his way back to fitness after a double hernia operation.
People at Celtic have always insisted a medical will pose no issues for the left-back and, before taking the risk, they would have to be pretty sure of their ground. A David Turnbull scenario would do neither side any favours.
Yet Tierney has played just nine games in 2019 and moving to one of Britain’s biggest clubs would be hard enough for any young player, without doing it with a suspect hip.
‘He is still feeling pain,’ concedes Lennon. ‘He was out kicking a ball on Wednesday and just felt a lot of discomfort.
‘I think once everything settles down, it may settle him and he can concentrate. But at the minute, it’s a very unsettling period for him.
‘I think the injury is compounding that frustration as well because he is still not 100-per-cent right. I don’t know how far away he is.’
If progress on new signings has
stalled in recent days, rumours of bids for Celtic players continue to proliferate. With £72m burning a hole in their bank account, the expectation is that Lille will return to the table with a £5m offer for Celtic central defender Jozo Simunovic after a failed bid last summer. ‘I’m a big Jozo fan,’ says Lennon. ‘There has been speculation about him but we are not entertaining any offers. He has been superb for me. Ideally, I’d like him to be in the building at the end of August.’ Reports in Italy, meanwhile, suggest AC Milan have placed Kristoffer Ajer on a two-man defensive shortlist with Liverpool’s Dejan Lovren. In a fit of misguided optimism, Italian outlet TMW claim the 21-year-old is seen as a more cost-effective alternative to £15m-rated Lovren. ‘£15m?’ snorts Lennon. ‘I’d value Kris a lot higher than that. He has more to come and I don’t think £15m would cut it, not that we are entertaining any offers. There has been no contact from Milan.
‘Kris is a fantastic player and has pretty much played every minute for me. We rested him in Estonia but that’s the first football he has missed since February.
‘He has been outstanding and we have high hopes for him. Kris wants to improve. He is a regular international now and you have to remember how young he is at times.
‘There will be a mistake from time to time but his consistency has been excellent. He is athletic, good on the ball, good in the air and is an intelligent boy.
‘Kris has all the strings to his bow — he is a real specimen at 21.’
With Christopher Jullien and Simunovic suspended for today’s league opener against St Johnstone, Ajer will be restored to central defence. New Israeli signing Hatem Abd Elhamed is also likely to make his debut on the right side of a three or four-man defence.
‘Hatem is ready,’ says Lennon. ‘He has been very impressive. He played 45 minutes on Wednesday in a closed-doors game against Wolves. He came through unscathed and has trained very well. Hatem is where we thought he would be in terms of fitness, although he might need a bit more game-time. But right now, we don’t have that luxury.
‘Hatem is 28 and people speak about players at that age as if they are ancient these days.
‘He is at his peak and we hope to get four good years out of him.
‘Mikey (Johnston), Kieran, Ajer... all are prominent players in their early 20s. But it’s good to have a bit of nous, too.
‘Hatem has good experience and will adapt quickly. He’s quiet, a family man, and there will be no issues with his professionalism.’
Before kick-off, Celtic’s 50th league flag will be unfurled by the widows of Lisbon Lion legends Billy McNeill and Stevie Chalmers.
‘It will be emotional for them and for everyone associated with the club,’ acknowledges Lennon.