Wednesday 25 June 2014 10:27, UK
Mikael Lustig is delighted to have penned a new deal at Celtic and insists leaving the club never crossed his mind.
The Sweden international full-back has committed to another three years at Parkhead, despite still having 12 months left to run on his current contract.
He says agreeing fresh terms was an easy decision, with there no desire on his part to leave the Scottish champions and go chasing a dream elsewhere.
Lustig told the Daily Record: “Why stay? To be able to play at a really big club and win championships as well as playing in Europe every year.
You can go to another club and feel you have made the right decision, but it’s so hard to know what the right thing to do is in football. In my case, I feel I have done the right thing
“It is really hard to go to a bigger club than Celtic for me. Of course, if you are one of the best players in the world, you can maybe pick and choose.
“However, I feel that I would go to a smaller club if I was to make a change.
“I love playing for my country as well and you never know what can happen when you change club.”
Lustig has seen others take the decision to move south in search of a Premier League challenge, such as Gary Hooper and Victor Wanyama, but claims he is settled and enjoying his football in Glasgow.
The 27-year-old added: “I can only speak for myself. The English Premier League is probably the biggest in the world and I cannot blame them for making that decision, but I look at the whole picture.
“Why not sign a new contract with a club that I am happy with, in a city which my family and I are happy with? It was not a hard decision for me to stay here.
“Norwich went down, but it was always a dream for Gary to play in the Premier League and he has done it now. Victor did well at Southampton, too.
“You can go to another club and feel you have made the right decision, but it’s so hard to know what the right thing to do is in football.
“In my case, I feel I have done the right thing.”
