Arsenal: Losing Kieran Tierney the peak of ineptitude

According to David Ornstein, Arsenal have slipped behind Napoli in the race to sign Kieran Tierney. If they fail to secure his services, it would be the peak of their ineptitude.

Arsenal are not exactly known for their proficiency and efficiency in the transfer market. £40 million and £1 bids, dallying at crucial moments to allow rivals to sweep in ahead of them, mismanagement of contracts, hesitating all summer before panic-buying in the final week. Over the years, and especially in the last decade, there are very few mistakes that the Gunners have not made.

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And this summer, having made just one official signing thus far, that being an 18-year-old from Brazil, they are presently on course to make some of the same mistakes once more.

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Perhaps the greatest moment of ineptitude so far this summer has come in their chase of Celtic defender Kieran Tierney. Arsenal desperately need a true and traditional left-back and identified the superb Tierney as the solution to their problems. Quoted a very fair £25 million price by the Scottish champions, the Gunners then submitted two pitiful bids of £15 million and £18 million, both of which were swiftly rejected.

BBC Sport journalist David Ornstein has now reported that the north London outfit have slipped behind Napoli in the chase for the 22-year-old and face missing out on him altogether should they not meet Celtic’s £25 million demand quickly. There is obviously still a long way to go but should Arsenal fail to sign Tierney this summer, it would represent the height of ineptitude, again.

There is no reason for this transfer not to work. Tierney is the ideal target, he is a terrific age, he is an excellent player proven at a decent level and in Europe, is interested in a move to one of the top six clubs in the Premier League, with personal terms reportedly agreed, and is fairly priced by a club who are willing to sell for the right offer. Everything is right in place for this deal to be easily completed.

The only sticking point is the hesitancy to meet the £25 million valuation. In normal circumstances, negotiating for the lowest possible price makes a lot of sense. But with other clubs sniffing around Tierney, head of football Raul Sanllehi must act cleanly and efficiently, and sometimes that means overpaying a little.

Moreover, this is a very different case to Wilfried Zaha and his egregious £80 million price tag. £25 million for Tierney is an extremely fair price, one that would still represent excellent value. While negotiating for a lower price is sensible, there would be nothing wrong with simply submitting a £25 million offer.

There are almost no sound arguments to make against Arsenal signing Tierney this summer. He is the ideal player. And yet, a month-and-a-half into the window and very little movement has come. Failing to sign him, should it come to it, would really be inept.