No. This feels like a normal negotiation process where we are submitting bids to test how they value different things, and there is actual discussion. We should seal this Tuesday.

KingslandBarge wrote:

ah we are going to blow this I feel. 10 million off the evaluation in the initial bid; now everyone else alerted and to come in and swoop. I

that's not how it works. you really think other clubs are out there like "damn i didn't know celtic were willing to sell tierney."

Mourinho with Willian, Alexis Sanchez, Mata; Guardiola with Mangala, Walker plus more from both. There are some outside parties that swoop in opportunistically (but not out of urgent necessity) when they are able to the measure the elasticity of an observed deal in process and size up their resources to interject, either to obtain the player or start a bidding war.

Left backs of quality are hard to come by

Claudius wrote:

No. This feels like a normal negotiation process where we are submitting bids to test how they value different things, and there is actual discussion. We should seal this Tuesday.

I hope so. We're in a post Dick Law world, there have always been rumblings about our ineffective engagement with negotiations

😆
"a post Dick Law world"

The rise of Hussein Fahmy and the age of the "embarassing bid".

Claudius wrote:

No. This feels like a normal negotiation process where we are submitting bids to test how they value different things, and there is actual discussion. We should seal this Tuesday.

Plus Tierney wants to play for Arsenal.

espn soccernet says we made a 25 m second bid 
(actually "between 19-25", but their headline is [size=x-small]"[font=-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, Arial,]Arsenal make improved £25m bid for Celtic's Tierney").[/font][/size]

I'm surprised so many want to sell Kola. I mean if a good offer comes in then yeah, I'd take it. But generally speaking I'd rather have him as a backup over Nacho any day, at least he's good going forward. Nacho on the other hand is finished. If Tierney is injury prone, then it'll be good to have someone decent there.

He's too expensive to be a backup at £100k and the potential to get £10-12m for him in the market would help our budget. Monreal can stay another year and ease in Joel Lopez.

I don't think Monreal has the legs to get up and down the flank, but I do think he has the nowse to play as an inverted FB/WB behind an attacking winger.

Ray wrote:

He's too expensive to be a backup at £100k and the potential to get £10-12m for him in the market would help our budget. Monreal can stay another year and ease in Joel Lopez.

Monreal can't play left back any more.

And Kolasinac can?

Monreal was the guy Emery chose every single time he lined up with a back four in the last 20 games of the season. An option was also taken up in Monreal's contract for an extra year. So whatever we think, it's clear what Emery, and therefore the club, are thinking this summer.

I think if we can get 30+ games out of Tierney, and I see no reason to think we won't, then Monreal will be just about good enough for one more season.

Ricky1985 wrote:

Having done some research, it seems to me Celtic are desperate to sell. And it looks like they tried hard last summer to get £25m out of Everton for the kid too.

That's no reflection on Tierney's ability either, it's a reflection on the reality of Celtic's financial situation and the intentions of the people running the club.

It's a great time for us to buy: He's off the back of his first sub-excellent season, owing to a double-hernia problem he suffered through for most of the season because he was desperate to help the team he loves win an unprecedented "treble-treble." He had an operation 2 days after the Cup final, in which Celtic did in fact seal a treble. Tierney didn't play but he trained right up to the last session to try and make it, but the hernia problem proved too much.

I don’t think that’s necessarily the case. They aren’t desperate to sell, but realistically know that they can’t afford to turn down good offers for their players. Tierney is a home grown, Celtic supporting local that’s loved by the fans. He’s also torn over whether to go as he would like to win 10 in a row. There’s acknowledgement that he may have to take the chance now whilst it’s there rather than holding off for another two more years. He was never interested in moving to Everton but he is open to a move now.

He would be some signing. If the club can do a deal similar to what has been reported: £15m + Carl Jenkinson and a loanee or two, then he would prove to be a steal. He's not as proven as the fullbacks that have gone for £50m+ but I suspect he would prove himself in England very quickly.

I think so too. I think he’s every chance of reaching the level of Robertson. The drive and work-rate is there, and there wasn’t much between them a couple of years ago. I think the timing of this is right for his development, and if he harbours any ambitions at international level, he’ll need to move to have any chance of challenging Robertson.

I can’t get my head around the pricing, I’m not sure where it should be. Robertson was at a similar level a few years ago and is now generally accepted as a steal for Liverpool, but if they’d paid any more than that at the time they’d have been thought of as mad. Celtic sold Moussa Dembele to Lyon for around £20m, so I think it’s strange they’re looking at the same money or more for a fullback. I struggle to accept this new world where you pay over the odds for potential rather than talent though so maybe I just need to adjust my thinking.

On Jenkinson, unless he was open to a massive pay cut I can’t see him signing there. Celtic’s top earners are on £30-35k and there’s not a chance Jenkinson would get anywhere near that.

Klaus wrote:

Agree that pricing isn't linear (and Scottish players count as homegrown too, which is useful)

I may be wrong but I don’t think that’s the case. I thought the homegrown rule stated that a player had to be developed at a club affiliated with the FA.

Claudius wrote:
JazzG wrote:

The Times reporting a second bid has been turned down, figure is suppose to be around the £20m mark and Celtic still holding out for £25m.

We are being shaken down by a Championship equivalent club. They need to get serious.

They’ve no need to sell, there’s years left on his contract, and he wouldn’t force a move. Celtic are in a decent position here, I don’t think this is a foregone conclusion by any means.

goon wrote:

I'm surprised so many want to sell Kola. I mean if a good offer comes in then yeah, I'd take it. But generally speaking I'd rather have him as a backup over Nacho any day, at least he's good going forward. Nacho on the other hand is finished. If Tierney is injury prone, then it'll be good to have someone decent there.

I wouldn’t have any concerns over Tierney’s injury history but I’d agree with your other points. As much as I love Monreal, I can’t see he’ll cope well physically with another season at left back. I think the sensible thing would be to have a season with Tierney and Kolasinac as options, let Tierney prove his worth and win his place and have Kola around for competition and consistency then look to replace him if Tierney can cement his place in the team. Given the inefficiency in wages elsewhere in the squad, having Kola on £100k for another year isn’t going to make much of a dent in the wider scheme of things.

I am going by the fact that Lennon's best buddy wrote a story in the Scottish Daily Mail practically begging Arsenal to lodge a bid and Neil Lennon was quoted 3 days ago saying he has a "decision to make" on Tierney before a bid had even arrived from Arsenal.

If we're playing 3atb in some matches, could Tierney play the Monreal role in the back three? That would be a reason to keep Kola over Monreal.

Ricky1985 wrote:

I am going by the fact that Lennon's best buddy wrote a story in the Scottish Daily Mail practically begging Arsenal to lodge a bid and Neil Lennon was quoted 3 days ago saying he has a "decision to make" on Tierney before a bid had even arrived from Arsenal.

I don't think he was inviting bids by any means, it's just acknowledgement of the reality that everyone has a price. The club are fairly well positioned financially, they absolutely aren't in a position where they need to sell for financial reasons, never mind being desperate to sell him.

Tam wrote:
Ricky1985 wrote:

I am going by the fact that Lennon's best buddy wrote a story in the Scottish Daily Mail practically begging Arsenal to lodge a bid and Neil Lennon was quoted 3 days ago saying he has a "decision to make" on Tierney before a bid had even arrived from Arsenal.

I don't think he was inviting bids by any means, it's just acknowledgement of the reality that everyone has a price. The club are fairly well positioned financially, they absolutely aren't in a position where they need to sell for financial reasons, never mind being desperate to sell him.

I still don't see why Celtic would have a reporter write a story encouraging Arsenal to bid for Tierney and why Neil Lennon would speak publicly about needing to decide what to do without anything really appearing in the press about Arsenal being interested, let alone actually making a bid.

If they didn't want to sell, why not keep quiet and hope nothing comes of it?

The other possibility is that Tierney has had his head turned by Arsenal and asked for the move and Celtic are trying to manage the situation, but from what I have read about the kid, it seems unlikely he'd go behind Celtic's back like that.

I genuinely think they want to sell. Maybe they're more desperate for the money than they're letting on? Maybe they don't think they stand a chance of qualifying for the Champions League this season, even with Tierney, and need the money for that reason? Maybe they want to really invest this summer and the £25m Tierney will bring in will mean 3 or 4 good players coming in, giving them a chance to qualify for the Champions League (hence the pushing of the deal in the press because that qualifier is looming large) or rebuild their team to fight off a resurgent Rangers in the coming seasons?

If they really don't want to sell, and we accept the kid is unlikely to throw his toys out the pram, and let's not forget they have him tied into a 6 year contract, why haven't they calmed down the fuming fanbase that are baying for blood at the possibility of him leaving?

Whatever the reason is, all signs point to them wanting to sell.

Quincy Abeyie wrote:

If we're playing 3atb in some matches, could Tierney play the Monreal role in the back three? That would be a reason to keep Kola over Monreal.

Yes he can. Played there for Scotland at times.

Why are we making signing a kid from Celtic such a saga?

Have we become so meaningless that this is big news now.