Arsenal are closing in on the transfer of Kieran Tierney for what will be the most ever paid for a Scottish player and his teammate, Craig Gordon, believes he’s worth every penny.
Arsenal have already had two bids for Tierney rejected by Celtic. The first, at £15m was too low. The second depended too much on add-ons.
It is now believed the clubs are on the verge of an agreement that would bring the 22-year-old to London and put him in the record books before he’s even kicked a ball.
So is he worth all the hype?
“Kieran’s got all the ability in the world,” Gordon told the Scottish Daily Mail. “He’s got the work ethic to go down there and be successful.
“He’s got the desire to be the best he can be in every single training session and every single game.
“He leads in all the stats, one of the top two or three in that. That’s because he pushes himself so hard. It’s a great thing to have in anybody’s team.
“It’ll be great for us if he does stay and continues to play as he has done because he’s been so consistent for so many years now.
“But, if he goes, it’s a great price tag. It’ll need to be big because he’s so good.
“Whoever manages to get him playing for them this season is lucky because he’s going to be a massive player, for us or anybody else.
“For a Scottish player, it is a big price tag. But then you look at some of the other players going for bigger fees.
“You can’t say Kieran isn’t worth that kind of money. Listen, my fee (£9m) looks tiny these days in comparison to the deals getting done now, but that’s just the way it’s gone with the market values in the game.
“It is what it is and I don’t think anyone can put the price tags on the players’ shoulders. It’s nothing to do with them.
“You almost have to put the fee to one side and not look at the figures and only concentrate on the ability of the player.
“Kieran has everything you’d want in a modern-day full-back.”
If reports are to be believes, Tierney could join up with Arsenal before Celtic head to Romania for their Champions League qualifier.