Former Celtic star Nir Bitton helped St Mirren secure new striker Stav Nahmani
dailyrecord.co.ukFormer Celtic and Israel star Nir Bitton played a key role in helping new Saints striker Stav Nahmani seal his move to Paisley.The 20-year-old forward signed a season-long loan last month but only completed the switch at the weekend after his visa and work permit were finally signed off.St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson was delighted to welcome the Israel Under-21 international into the fold on Monday, with the youngster meeting his new team-mates at Ralston.And the Buddies boss revealed former Hoops hero Bitton, who now plays for Maccabi Tel Aviv, helped persuade the authorities the striker could cut the mustard in Scotland after his own successful spell in the Premiership.Robinson told the Paisley Daily Express: “He’s a goalscorer with a lot of pace and energy.
You don’t play for Maccabi Haifa if you’re not a good footballer.“They saw him as surplus to requirements and the people I know over there recommended him very highly and in the same category as Ryan Strain.
If we get anything near to what Ryan has done for us then we’ll be very happy.“Nir wrote a very complimentary letter for us to get the visa and work permit for Stav.“When someone of that calibre rates your players and thinks he could go on to big things, it’s exciting.“You have to get the GB points.
People have to speak on the player’s behalf, if they’ve worked with him or played with him.“There were quite a few ex-pros and the Israeli Under-21 manager and Israel manager spoke very highly of Stav too.“You need those recommendations before you can take it to a hearing, which obviously went very well.“He’s a young boy so we won’t put too much expectation on him, what with having to settle into a new country.“But we’ve got a lot of options up there now when we
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