‘Winning mentality’ at Celtic key to Brown agreeing a new contract

The Celtic captain signed a new contract on Saturday following a lengthy delay in finalising the deal, which sparked a flurry of speculation over his future. Manager Neil Lennon admitted some concern over the delay despite being confident his captain would stay, and Brown was linked with a move to Newcastle under freedom of contract at the end of the season.

But he has insisted there was no doubt the deal would be done. The Scotland midfielder agreed personal terms with chief executive Peter Lawwell several months ago, with the only obstacle being his agent’s fee. With that removed, Brown signed a contract that ties him to Parkhead until the summer of 2015, with Celtic having the option of another year.

And Brown sees himself signing another contract after that and possibly staying at the club for the remainder of his career.

The 26-year-old said: “When I spoke to Peter a couple of weeks ago, he was saying the same thing, he would like me to stay. I would be glad to stay. It’s a great club, it’s a good place to play your football as well, in front of 60,000 fans. Who wouldn’t want to stay here?

“We’ve got a great training ground, we’ve got a great manager and great players as well, so it’s the club for me.”

Brown revealed there was no contact from other clubs and he was not tempted to aim for a move to the Barclays Premier League.

“I enjoy playing here. I’m going to win cups and trophies here,” added Brown, who joined Celtic in a £4.4million deal from Hibs in 2007.

“If you go down to England, you might not get that, you might not get the winning mentality that you have here. I enjoy winning and that’s why I signed for Celtic.”