Preston tell Bhoys stump up £3m for St Ledger

PRESTON have warned Celtic they will not land Ireland defender Sean St Ledger on the cheap after claiming the Hoops were nowhere near meeting their valuation of the player.

The Glasgow giants have reportedly offered €1.4m with €600,000 in add-ons for the Irish centre half – well short of Preston’s £3million valuation of the 25-year-old.

Preston chairman Derek Shaw confirmed yesterday: “Celtic’s offer was way below our valuation. There’s no way we’d accept anything near the figure put to us. We are not being greedy. Sean is an established international and players of his calibre come at a price.

“I know a Championship club that has put a £4m price tag on a defender who only has six months left on his contract.

“But we understand Sean wants to play at a higher level and has his international career to think of. So the ball is in Celtic’s court.”

St Ledger can become the new Paul McGrath if he completes the proposed move to Celtic according to Preston teammate Barry Nicholson. The midfielder who moved from Aberdeen to North End reckons St Ledger is the best defender in the Championship and would soon become the SPL’s best defender.

“Sean’s a huge Aston Villa fan and McGrath has always been his hero,” explained Nicholson. “In many ways they are similar as players and I’m certain Sean will go right to the top. He’s a class act, the best defender in our division, and Celtic will be getting a terrific player but also one with the potential to get a lot better.

“Like McGrath he is so comfortable on the ball and no matter how much pressure he’s put under he never seems to get ruffled. He is an outstanding central defender and from the first game I played with him at Preston I knew he was destined for bigger and better things. Top quality defenders have an air of authority and an aura – Sean certainly has that.

“He is not the tallest centre-half but is still strong in the air and able to read the game brilliantly. He has the ability to play in central midfield too because he’s so comfortable on the ball.

“All the lads at Preston thought Sean signing for Middlesbrough was a formality but their loss will be Celtic’s gain if they can lure him to Scotland.”

St Ledger was signed on-loan by another of his former heroes Gareth Southgate at Middlesbrough and the £4m transfer was expected to be a formality in January but St Ledger refused to complete the move. Boro’s new boss Gordon Strachan has played down rumours of a fall out between the pair.

Although Preston will receive a hefty loan sum, the cash-strapped club were banking on receiving the £4m transfer sum. Former North End manager Alan Irvine’s decision to play St Ledger when he returned from Teeside reportedly created friction in the board room as that action restricted Preston’s chances of claiming the full fee from Boro.

St Ledger could fall foul of the FIFA ‘three club’ rule as he has already represented two clubs this season but it is thought that a move to Scotland would be easier than a transfer to a Premier League club and it is unlikely another Championship team can stump up the cash.

St Ledger’s performances for Ireland have moved the Championship player to a higher platform attracting attention for the defender who has never played in the Premier League.

Nicholson says he looks every inch an international player. He said: “I watched the Republic’s World Cup play-off against France in Paris and thought Sean was the best player on the park.

“Nicolas Anelka and Thierry Henry didn’t get a look-in that night because Sean was immense at the back.

“He looked totally at home in that company and the step up has done him the world of good.

“Since being called up by Giovanni Trapattoni he’s also scored against Italy during the qualifying campaign.

“He has gone from strength to strength for Ireland and the step up to the Premiership or another major side was always on the cards.”

The 31-year-old midfielder spent five years at Rangers and believes St Ledger has the mentality to cope with life as an Old Firm player.

He said: “Off the pitch Sean is fairly quiet and I think he will adapt to life in the Glasgow goldfish bowl without any problems. He has tremendous belief in his ability and joining Celtic won’t faze him in the slightest. If anything it will bring out the best in him.”