BABY LOVE HASN’T BLUNTED BITTON’S DESIRE
NIR BITTON was a candidate for throwing the toys out of the pram when he was reduced to being a bit-part Celtic player late last year as the transfer window approached.
With one baby in the household now, however, the midfielder has not been in the mood for any upheaval that might disrupt his happiness in Glasgow as a new father.
The 25-year-old became a dad for the first time at Christmas when wife Bar gave birth to Emma. He had celebrated a goal against Dundee a week earlier by tucking the ball under his shirt.
That merriment was a rare highlight on the pitch for Bitton, who had fallen down the midfield pecking order behind Stuart Armstrong, starting only one game between the Betfred Cup semi-final in October and the 3-0 defeat of Albion Rovers on January 22.
However, he informed manager Brendan Rodgers of his full commitment to fighting for his place.
Bitton said: ‘Since the baby arrived, I feel like I have responsibility now. Everything I do now, I just think about Emma, my family and how she’ll grow up. The commitment I feel to my baby is something that’s unreal. It’s crazy.
‘When the game’s finished you go home, see her face and forget everything else.
‘My wife Bar now has two babies at home and she has to deal with that because sometimes I’m more of a baby than Emma! But she is everything now.
‘Having a settled family life definitely helped when I was out of the team. When you have a good base at home, that’s important. You will always have good and bad spells as a footballer.
‘But when you play for Celtic you’ll always have competition. When someone gets an opportunity and takes it, you can’t do anything. You just have to sit and wait for yours.
‘I’ve played in the last few games and it’s the best feeling to be back in the team again. I want to try and help Celtic win as much as possible, achieving everything we want to.
‘Now that I have a baby, I just want her to be proud of dad.’
Bitton told his manager that he is happy to remain at Celtic for the forseeable future, despite stories linking him with transfers to Fulham and Espanyol during the January window.
‘The only conversation I had with the gaffer I always said I want to stay,’ he said.
‘I want to show him I deserve to play. I’m not a guy who says: “Okay, I’m not playing now so I want to leave”.
‘If I leave, I want to leave on a high. For now, I don’t want to leave.’