WHILE the sirens sound that Celtic manager Ronny Deila is just one loss away from the sack, the club’s board and chief executive Peter Lawwell continue to back his judgement.
In what will be a boost to the squad before the crunch Europa League tie with Molde of Norway on Thursday, Celtic announced that midfielder Nir Bitton had signed a new contract that will see him stay at the club until the summer of 2020.
It was a welcome birthday present for the Israeli internationalist, who turned 24 last Friday. Signed by Neil Lennon from FC Ashdod in August 2013, Bitton made his competitive debut against AC Milan in the San Siro, coming on as a substitute in the last minute.
He has since become a regular in the Israel team and has made 82 appearances for Celtic, scoring six goals, perhaps the best of which was a clever strike against Ajax in the Amsterdam Arena in September.
Bitton said: “As soon as I got a new offer from Celtic I had no questions about signing. When you play for a club like Celtic you don’t think twice. It’s a huge club, the best fans in the world and Celtic Park is one of the best stages in Europe so I’m just delighted to extend my stay here.
“Celtic is a special club and every time I go to the pitch I get goosebumps. When the fans sing You’ll Never Walk Alone it’s like something from a dream and these kinds of things make my life easier and happier – I’m just happy to stay here.
“As a player, when you get the trust of a club it gives you confidence and you appreciate it. You just want to give that back as much as you can.
“I enjoy every minute at Celtic and my wife is very happy here so there was never any need for change. This is where I want to be. I have a great relationship with the manager and the backroom staff who have all been magnificent with me and I have a group of team-mates who I respect so highly.
“I am so pleased to commit my long-term future to Celtic and I now look forward to doing everything I can to bring the club and our fans more and more success.”
It is inconceivable that Lawwell would have sanctioned this considerable investment by the club if he was not confident in the manager, and while a second failure to make the knockout stage of the Europa League would certainly be a blot on his escutcheon, Deila is still manager of a team which is already six points clear at the top of the Premiership and is in the semi-finals of the League Cup – hardly sacking material, you would think.
Deila also appears to have found the key to Leigh Griffiths, who said yesterday that he would be delighted if he could edge closer to his 20-goals-by-Christmas target against Molde.
The Celtic striker’s two goals at the weekend against Aberdeen brought his tally for the campaign to 16 and he is now talking of hitting 30 by the end of the season.
He said: “The team’s playing with a lot of confidence just now and hopefully we will have the fans behind us on Thursday night and can make it an intimidating atmosphere for Molde coming here.
“We know they’re a good side but if we play our best then we’re capable of winning.
“I’m playing with confidence just now and if a chance comes my way I’ll try to put it away. I’m on 16 goals and I’ve set myself a target to have 20 by January. If I do that I’ll be happy.”
Celtic say there are tickets left for the match against Molde, but anyone intending to go along should note the 6pm kick off.
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