Celtic midfielder Nir Bitton has been one of the few players within Brendan Rodgers’ squad who has really not kicked on this season.
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers after the match
It is fair to say that the majority of the Celtic squad have enjoyed a significant boost since Brendan Rodgers arrived at Parkhead in the summer, but one player who has most definitely looked well adrift of his best this term is a player who was attracting attention from clubs willing to pay £6 million for him nearly a year ago.
Nir Bitton was arguably Celtic’s worst player in Sunday’s Old Firm clash with Rangers, and he has certainly been overshadowed by fellow midfielders Stuart Armstrong and Scott Brown this season.
So did Brendan Rodgers make a mistake not cashing in on him when he had the opportunity last summer?
The Daily Record reported in July that Espanyol were willing to pay £6 million for the Israel international, but ultimately ended their pursuit of the 25-year-old with Celtic wanting £10 million for his signature (via Record).
In January, Brendan Rodgers suggested that he would be willing to let Bitton move on with the midfielder struggling for opportunities in the Hoops first-team (via Record).
Celtic’s Nir Bitton in action with Rangers’ Martin Waghorn
But given his continued struggles, it would surely be incredibly unlikely that an interested side would be willing to even pay the £6 million that Espanyol were considering offering, let alone the eight-figure sum that put the Spanish side off.
And with Bitton offering little during a campaign which has seen Celtic dominate the domestic game with ease, it would surely go down as one of the few mistakes the club has made during Rodgers’ tenure that they decided to keep him when the money was on the table.
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