Neil Lennon: We Are Looking At Replacements For Kieran Tierney

Neil Lennon admits the club are braced for Kieran Tierney’s exit…

Celtic boss Neil Lennon has admitted that the Scottish champions are eyeing potential replacements for Kieran Tierney who’s been the subject of a bid from Arsenal, Sky Sports reports.

The Gunners saw a £15million offer knocked back last week and while many expect us to go back in with an improved offer, Lennon made it clear that Celtic are under no pressure to sell.

The Scottish giants are already back in pre-season training and played their first friendly on Wednesday as they prepare for their Champions League qualification campaign.

Tierney wasn’t involved though, with the left-back still recovering from a procedure he underwent in the summer to cure a persistent hernia problem.

For Lennon, Celtic are preparing for all possible scenarios, including potentially keeping Tierney at the club.

“I’m not aware of another bid yet,” the Celtic boss said.

“Of course [we are looking at replacements]. We had a bid from Arsenal, we respect the bid but we know that’s not anywhere near the valuation we see him at.

“We are in no position to sell. He’s on a long-term contract, he is an asset and we don’t want to sell.”

It doesn’t seem likely that Tierney will force through a move so we have to be sensible here as a club and prevent annoying Celtic to the point of no return.

At the present moment, their hard-line stance could be a negotiation ploy, but calling their bluff too often could scupper our plans completely.

According to reports, Celtic’s asking price is £25m; a fee that seems entirely reasonable in today’s market. Let’s get this over the line!