PATRYK KLIMALA has revealed that he knocked back a host of offers from other clubs, including big clubs in Italy, to sign for Celtic.
The Polish striker was introduced to the media yesterday at Celtic Park for the first time since his arrival from Jagiellonia Bialystok for a fee of £3.5m, saying his pace and strength make him ideally suited to Scottish football.
And he insisted that as soon as he heard of Celtic's interest in him, there wasn't anywhere else he wanted to go.
“I feel it is a big achievement for me to come to Scotland and sign for Celtic," Klimala said.
"I have always dreamed of playing for a big club. Celtic is a huge club with a lot of history.
“I had a few offers from other clubs but I never even thought of moving elsewhere as soon as I learned Celtic were interested. I made my mind up straight away to come here. I’m very happy about it.
“There were big clubs from Italy and other countries interested in me, but I don’t want to mention their names.
“I feel my style of football is more suited to Celtic. So, this is the best choice for me to make.
“I would describe myself as a strong and fast player, I feel I am best suited to Celtic and Scottish football. I think I will do well here."
He may be only 21 years of age, but Klimala has no worries about living up to his significant price tag, or his ability to handle the step up to playing in front of 60,000 supporters every other week.
“In terms of the pressure here, I know the fans at Celtic support the club and that is not going to overwhelm me," he said.
“I’m going to do my best to get the fans’ support in every game."
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