Celtic and 'Well in Pearson talks

The deal to take Stephen Pearson to Celtic from Motherwell hangs on the resolution of negotiations for a sell-on clause.

Motherwell have a 12% sell-on agreement with Everton after selling James McFadden to the Merseysiders in August.

Now the Fir Park club are looking to include a similar clause in the deal for Scotland midfielder Pearson, who is poised to move to Parkhead in a £300,000 (€142,642) deal.

Motherwell boss Terry Butcher had originally been looking to take a Celtic player on loan as part of the negotiations.

But Butcher accepts opposite number Martin O’Neill’s reluctance to allow players to leave and the sell-on clause now appears the only stumbling block.

A Fir Park spokesman said: “Discussions are continuing with Celtic.”

Meanwhile, O’Neill is set to be without Johan Mjallby for up to six weeks after allowing him to undergo a tidy-up operation on his knee.

Having taken a healthy 11-point lead over their arch rivals Rangers at the top of the Bank of Scotland Premier League with Saturday’s derby win, O’Neill wasted no time in sending the Swedish international to hospital.

Wear and tear on the defender’s right knee has led to the flaring up of a slight problem and he now has the chance to recover before the UEFA Cup campaign resumes on February 26.

It is, though, a disappointing blow for a player who featured prominently in recent games against Hibernian and Motherwell and he will not relish the prospect of more time on the sidelines.

Mjallby, whose contract expires in the summer, will have an arthroscopy on Wednesday.

But Alan Thompson is set to be celebrating next month after England assistant manager Tord Grip hinted the midfielder could be called up for the first squad of the year.

Hoops striker Chris Sutton also earned rave reviews from Grip after the weekend’s win over Rangers.

Grip said: “In the first half I thought Alan Thompson did very well because they (Celtic) were more up for it and played more offensively and in the second half they just sat back.

“He couldn’t create or do much in the second half but he scored a marvellous free-kick goal.

“I had to get away early but I made sure I saw it on television because it was a very good goal.

“That did not surprise me at all because he has scored some great goals from free-kicks before.

“I thought Chris Sutton was terrific for the team in the second half when he played more defensively.”

His report to Sven-Goran Eriksson was obviously a glowing one as he revealed that either he or the England manager would make the trip to Edinburgh on January 18 to watch Celtic at Hearts.

“They play Hearts away next weekend and one of us will be coming up for the match,” he said. “We basically have to decide who now.”

England travel for friendlies with Portugal on February 18 and Sweden on March 31 and Eriksson’s right-hand man has hinted that both Sutton and Thompson will be named in the squad.

“Sven has been very impressed with them both,” he said. “They have done very well in Europe because they were in the UEFA Cup final last season and again this season so they can play at the top.

“Sven’s likely to look at different players and I think we will do that because we know what we have got so far.”

Grip feels the fact that Thompson is left-sided and used to playing in a diamond formation are also to his advantage.

“First of all Alan Thompson is playing on the left-hand side and has a great left foot. Celtic play in some sort of a diamond formation and it’s not too difficult to put him into our formation.

“He has played as a wing-back and now in a 4-4-2 and a diamond so the step up won’t be too difficult.”

Sutton seems close to a recall and Grip believes his best role for club and country would be as a defensive midfielder.

“We know Chris Sutton can play,” he concluded. “I saw him several times at Blackburn where he played up front, sometimes he went back to centre-back and now he is playing in midfield.

“He can play in an offensive role but I think the best role for him would be in a defensive role in central midfield because he was very good there especially in the second half on Saturday.”