Nir Bitton had 9 trophy-laden years at Celtic, as the club enjoyed a tremendous success during his time at Parkhead. Thus, it was only fair that he could say goodbye to the Celtic fan amidst another Premiership title celebration, the Hoops’ 10th over the past 11 seasons. While it was sad to see the curtain come down on the midfielder’s career, it was great to see him leave on a high note.

Bitton might not have always been a first-team regular for Celtic but he was always an important player in the squad and had a key role to play.

His deal with Celtic was believed to run till the summer of 2023 but it is believed that the Israeli international was after a new challenge, after spending such a long time at the club. He was visibly emotional as he featured for the last time for the Hoops though.

Still only 30 years of age, Bitton should have plenty of football left in the tank and appears to be aiming to stay in Europe for the time being. But it appears that his ultimate aim is to return to Israel and call time on his career. As reported by 67 Hail Hail, the player told Ynet:

“I’ve always said I’ll go back to Israeli football, and I want to finish my career here, but right now I’m at a crossroads.

“The initial desire is to stay abroad, but after we have experienced Glasgow which does not have summer, it will only be for a warm country. We miss the sun.”

Bitton sheds light on where he would like to finish his career after leaving Celtic

It is not hard to understand why Bitton would be interested in leaving Celtic. On one hand, he had done everything that was there to do at the club. On the other hand, his role had become that of a bench player, who would be brought on to see out games, and still just 30 years, he might not have been satisfied to play that role moving forward.

This article was originally posted here