Motherwell manager Stephen Robinson believes Kieran Tierney’s record-breaking move is good news for Scottish football.
Robinson – whose side host Celtic on Saturday – feels the Ladbrokes Premiership is finally getting the recognition it deserves after Tierney moved for a record £25million.
Arsenal made the left-back Scotland’s most expensive player and paid double the amount Celtic accepted four years ago for Virgil van Dijk, now widely regarded as the world’s best defender.
Motherwell themselves accepted a club-record £3million fee from Celtic for David Turnbull this summer before the need for the midfielder to undergo knee surgery scuppered the transfer.
And Robinson believes the effect of Tierney’s fee will help other clubs.
Robinson said: “He’s a top, top footballer and got a fantastic move, and got good value for a Scottish player, which is about time the league has been recognised for the quality it is and the quality of player that Kieran Tierney is.
“I tried to hold out for £25million for David but unfortunately we didn’t quite get that. But the point is very valid. We don’t get the credit for the game up here, usually from press people that have probably seen one game in 10 years.
“The quality is massively improved, there are a lot of top managers here, tactically very aware. Crowds are getting bigger, stadiums are full on the majority of weeks and I think we are getting value for players.
“There’s a lot more players out there that people will be interested in and it’s about time Scottish football got the credit it deserves.”
Robinson sells a move to Fir Park partly on the chance to play the likes of Celtic live on television and his new-look team are relishing the visit of Neil Lennon’s team after opening their Premiership campaign with a goalless draw on Livingston’s artificial surface.
“We can’t wait,” he said. “A real early test for us. We know what quality Celtic have but we believe we have quality as well.
“We have to make sure we put our stamp on the game. We didn’t last week, we matched the battling qualities of Livingston and the game was reduced to a scrap if I’m totally honest.
“It’s certainly the extremes of Scottish football. Even the surfaces, our pitch is magnificent. You will have two teams playing the ball very quickly and trying to take control of the game.
“There’s no right or wrong way to play football, Livingston play to their strengths and do it very, very well, so why not? Gary (Holt) has done a very good job there. Lenny will play to Celtic’s strengths and we will play to our strengths.
“It’s a game we are very much looking forward to. It ill be very different to last week but the thing we have to do that we didn’t do is put our stamp on the game when we land on the ball.
“We have a terrific home record here and we go in very confident. We will try to take our game to them and press them and try and get our wide players on the ball to cause them problems.”
