Kieran Tierney question exposes long-time Celtic problem

Piers Morgan’s question regarding the price Arsenal paid Celtic for Kieran Tierney has exposed an issue that has existed for a long time.

Kieran Tierney played all 120 minutes of Arsenal’s 2-0 extra-time win over Newcastle United in the third round of the FA Cup. He also assisted Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for Arsenal’s second goal in the closing minutes of the game to seal Gunners’ spot in the fourth round of the competition.

The Scottish international grew up in the Celtic Academy before moving up to the first team. After 170 appearances, Celtic sent him to Arsenal in exchange for £25 million in 2019. And it is safe to say they have not even come close to replacing him.

Piers Morgan couldn’t believe how cheap his side got Tierney for. Now 23 years old, he has been in-and-out of the squad with injury issues, however, he has been sensational when healthy.

Tierney’s transfer wasn’t met with much delight from many Celtic supporters, but his move to the Premier League is another example of a player bettering his craft in Scotland before the transition to England. Many still believe the Scottish Premiership to be a ‘weak’ league, however, the success of the players proves differently.

Scottish football has produced two of the world’s best left-backs right now in the form Kieran Tierney and Andy Robertson. The SPFL has also served as a good spot to transform as a player, with examples such as Virgil van Dijk, Fraser Forster and Victor Wanyama. The list can go on as well with players like John McGinn, Stuart Armstrong and Ryan Fraser.

The big question is, should Celtic have demanded more for Kieran Tierney?

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Since his departure, the Hoops have struggled to replace him. The revolving door of left-backs has included Jonny Hayes, Boli Bolingoli, Greg Taylor and Diego Laxalt. They’ve all showed some glimpses, but still nowhere near the quality that Tierney brought to the team.

Considering he did have injury issues in his final season with Celtic, that probably lowered the price tag a little bit. Still, the £25 million was a bit lower than many would have preferred considering his undeniable quality and the state of the current transfer market.

It is good to see Celtic improving their deals in recent years. They let Virgil van Dijk go to Southampton for about £14 million and Moussa Dembele for about £18 million. But even then, you’d think they continue to undervalue their players.

Overall, Piers Morgan does have a good point. Even with his injury issues, Arsenal got a good bargain with Tierney. He’s a real gamechanger for the Gunners when he plays. It would have been nice to get a little more for a player of his standards.

The next big name out of the door will probably be Odsonne Edouard. And when that happens, we must make sure that we get what he is worth.