For all the criticism he gets about his temper, Neil Lennon has handled the Kieran Tierney situation brilliantly this summer, trying to keep his player happy but also ensuring his team receive the maximum transfer fee should he move.
Lennon’s latest comments in The Express seem ridiculous on first viewing – he compares his left-back to Cristiano Ronaldo – but when you realise he is talking about the whole situation rather than his playing ability it starts to make sense.
READ MORE: No transfer bids for Celtic star as Lennon offers a clean slate despite comments
Speaking about the proposed transfer to Arsenal, Lennon said: “This is what we’re saying: we don’t want to sell, but sometimes players leave – even big players.”
He went on to say: “Cristiano Ronaldo left Manchester United and they are the biggest club in the world, so these things happen”
The Express reports the latest news being that Arsenal’s most recent bid did meet the overall asking price of £25m, however Celtic weren’t happy with the structure of the deal so there’s no agreement in place at the moment.
There is some good news for Arsenal fans, with The Sun reporting that although Tierney is currently injured, the Celtic manager doesn’t believe it’s anything that would prevent him passing his medical.
Tierney has been missing from Celtic’s opening Champions League games, but Lennon told The Sun that the Scottish International should be back in full training with in the next two or three weeks.
He’s a firm favourite with Celtic fans given he came through their youth system, and was a vital member of their “treble treble” winning side, so they will still be hopeful that a fee can’t be agreed and that he stays at Parkhead for at least another year.