Ange Postecoglou insists today’s Parkhead title party is the perfect ending to Tom Rogic and Nir Bitton ’s Celtic story.
The pair are set to depart the Hoops after the champions’ Premiership encore against Motherwell this afternoon.
Rogic and Bitton have decided to call time on their Celtic careers having bagged an incredible 34 major honours between them in nine sparkling years in Glasgow.
Wizard of Oz Rogic is poised to spark an A-League fight back in Australia while Israel stalwart Bitton is also set to head back to his homeland with Maccabi Haiffa in the frame.
Hoops fans will get the chance to bid farewell to the favourites today as Postecoglou ’s men get their hands on the Premiership trophy and the manager reckons there will be no better send off.
Postecoglou said: “It’s hard to get the right kind of ending to a story.
“With both those guys it’s a great way to end their fantastic careers at this football club.
“I’ve been talking to both Tom and Nir throughout the year and they felt it was the right time.
“For us as a football club, we need to be looking always to be continually evolving the team.
“As the season panned out, and now being champions, it’s just a great to send off two unbelievable servants of this football club.
“They both get the chance to say goodbye in the right possible way and our supporters get the chance to acknowledge them.”
Postecoglou hailed the part the pair have played in Celtic’s success this season – with Rogic in the frame for the player of the year award and Bitton making 40 appearances in a number of roles.
He said: “Massively so. There’s no doubt that their careers speak for themselves.
“My own input into that is the last 12 months, when they’ve both been outstanding on and off the field.
“I obviously knew Tom from before but just working with him on a daily basis, he’s been brilliant for me.
“He was probably the go to man in terms of people trying to find out about me and I’m sure he helped me in many ways. His season this year has been brilliant.
“Equally with Nir, I needed experienced players as it was a young group.
“On and off the field he’s really helped Callum and sort of shaped the dressing room.
“His influence particularly on Liel Abada has been unbelievable.
‘Liel’s a 19-year-old we brought in as a sort of development project but look at the season he’s had. I’ve got no doubt that a huge chunk of that is because of Nir’s influence.”
Rogic and Bitton might not be the only departures with Christopher Jullien admitting he is considering his future after getting frozen out.
The defender battled back from 12 months out injured but has failed to break back in to the team.
Jullien said: “Despite the fact that I gave everything for this club and I would have liked to bring more to the team this year, the playing time is not there at all.
“I still have a year of contract here and I would like to continue playing but my priority is to be on the pitch.
“It remains open.The only thing I know is that I am a competitor and I came to Celtic to win titles. I won some and I still have the ambition to win more but today I miss it.
“If the conditions do not change, it is certain the door will be open to continue my career elsewhere at a club where the coach would be happy to rely on my qualities.
“Since mid-January, I feel 100 percent, after that it is the choice of the coach.
“It’s up to him and he is successful. Since I came back, we’ve only lost a few points so it’s really exceptional.
“I told the coach in January that I was ready to go. It’s his choice and sometimes he doesn’t take me on the bench because he prefers to take a midfielder who can play in central defence.”
Postecoglou insisted he’ll sit down with the squad in the coming days and discuss their futures.
He said: “It doesn’t benefit anyone but with all these things it’s about having discussions with the players and everyone coming to an agreement about what the best way forward is.
“That’s what happened with Niro and Tom ad it will happen with the other boys who potentially could be looking elsewhere.”
