Leigh Griffiths believes new Celtic deal is reward for fight he’s shown at the club

CELTIC striker Leigh Griffiths feels his new long-term contract is vindication of his decision to fight for his place at the club.

The Scotland international has signed a deal which ties him to the club until the summer of 2022 – a year longer than his previous contract.

Griffiths had to win over Ronny Deila and then convince Brendan Rodgers he could adapt to his demands while challenging French pair Moussa Dembele and Odsonne Edouard for a place in the team.

But he recently hit his 100th goal for the club and, with Dembele departed for Lyon with no replacement arriving, the former Hibernian forward looks set to add further to that tally in the coming weeks and months.

The 28-year-old told Celtic TV: “I’m over the moon. It’s been a long time coming, talks have been ongoing for a while now and I’m so glad to get it over the line.

“The main aim is to be here for as long as I can, and for Celtic to have shown that faith in me to sign me for another four years makes me ecstatic.

“From the moment I walked in the door here, this is where I wanted to be for the rest of my life. I’ve been here for three-and-a-half years already and to sign another four-year deal is great.

“It’s a great club and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. I had the opportunity to move but I wanted to stay and fight for my place. I’ve been rewarded with another deal and knowing that I’m going to be here for another few years is great.

“There’s been a lot of high and some lows, but more highs than lows. Hopefully there’s a lot more highs to come.”

Griffiths has been a key player in Celtic’s sequence of seven consecutive titles and he wants to make it a record-breaking run.

“I’m here for 10 so that’s a start,” he said of his future aims. “But my main focus now is trying to get back in the team and stay as fit as possible, and try and get my goal tally up. I’ve hit the 100 now and I want to try and continue that and aim for more heights.”