Arsenal trying to commit ‘transfer market murder’ and Kieran Tierney should be INSULTED by £15m bid, slams Celtic legend Chris Sutton
The Gunners had an opening offer for the highly-rated Scotland left-back turned down - but they are expected to make further moves before the transfer window closes
Celtic legend Chris Sutton has labelled Arsenal's bids for Kieran Tierney so far as 'digusting contempt' - insisting the Scotland full-back should not be sold for anything less than £35million.
Writing in his column, the former Bhoys striker believes Tierney should be 'insulted' by the most recently reported £15m offer - hitting out at the way English clubs operate in general in the transfer window - citing Virgil van Dijk's exit to Southampton back in 2015 as an example.
He wrote: "Kieran Tierney should be insulted by Arsenal’s bids for him. Celtic and Scottish football should also be seeing disrespect in what the Gunners are offering.
"Yet again I’m having the same argument I’ve been having year-on-year since Virgil van Dijk was inexplicably allowed to leave Celtic for a fee of £13m in the summer of 2015.
"Nothing has changed. English clubs believed then they could get away with transfer market murder and they still do."
He continued: "Fair enough all clubs start low in a bidding process but £15m for Tierney smacks of disgusting contempt. Not just for Celtic and Scottish football but for the boy.
"If I were Tierney I would be wondering if they really rated me at all given the figures which are flying around south of the border.";
The BT Sport pundit, who spent five trophy-laden years at Celtic Park at the start of the century, says the difference in valuation between Tierney and Manchester United new boy Aaron Wan-Bissaka, as well as Leicester's Ben Chilwell, is 'scandalous'.
He continued: "Manchester United are paying £55m [sic] to land Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Crystal Palace. Leicester are looking to get about £70m for Ben Chilwell if he goes.
"Both of those boys have had roughly one good season each in the English Premier League and that’s the fees?
"Are you trying to tell me that Chilwell is a four times better player than Tierney? Or that Wan-Bissaka is three times as good?
"I like the pair of them. Wan-Bassaka is an excellent prospect who needs a bit of work with his delivery in the final third to get to the levels Andy Robertson is reaching at Liverpool.
MOST READ IN FOOTBALL
"Funnily enough, the same goes for Tierney. He needs a bit of work to get to the very top.
"But that’s my point. Tierney isn’t the finished article, yet neither is Wan-Bissaka and the discrepancy in fees is scandalous."
Sutton has also called on his former club to stand firm and not be 'insulted' again - like they were when Van Dijk left Parkhead to secure his Premier League move.
"Obviously, due to Celtic’s position of playing in the Scottish Premiership, they cannot realistically expect to get the £50m Wan-Bissaka has fetched for Crystal Palace," he admitted.
"But at the same time they should not be having to accept derisory offers such as £15m from Arsenal for a player who is of equal ability.
"Whatever way you look at it and however you see the level of the Scottish league, it’s nigh-on impossible to get to a final figure of £15m."
"It’s mocking Scottish football. It’s scornful to Celtic and disrespectful to the player," he added.
"There is a halfway house here. Arsenal think they can get Tierney for around £20m. Wan Bissaka has gone for £50m.
"That means the meet in the middle figure should be at the £35m mark.
"And, if Celtic accept anything significantly less than that for Tierney during this transfer window, then they have been insulted again just as they were over the sale of van Dijk."