COLIN KAZIM-RICHARDS last night vowed to become a player the Celtic fans will love – and all other fans will hate. The London-born Turkish international put pen to paper on a two-and-a-half year deal after completing his surprise transfer from Feyenoord, becoming manager Ronny Deila’s third and final signing of the January window.

The 29 year-old has attracted controversy for various off-field antics over the years, including threatening to attack a Dutch journalist last month after disagreeing with an article he had written about him. Kazim-Richards, though, believes his bad boy reputation is more to do with his whole-hearted attitude on the pitch, and vowed to give everything to make his time at Celtic a success.

He said: “There is their side, that side and then there is the truth. But I think that’s done. I am a Celtic player and it has no relevance to anything going on in the future. I think my reputation is more because of the way I play. When I play for your team, you love me. When I play against you, you hate me.

“All the coaches will hate me, all the other fans will hate me. Because I don’t give a second’s rest to the defenders. I will run into defenders and do whatever needs to be done to win the game. When I get on the pitch, I am going there to win, entertain my fans and ultimately get the three points. Of course I feed off the crowd. I play better when the other team’s fans are booing me. I know I am doing something right then.

“But that’s not me when I’m at home. My daughter is painting my toenails and putting stuff in my hair. My son is jumping all over me and I’m changing nappies. I’m doing normal things. Because of the type of the player I am, people outside the club I’m at like to put on certain things. That comes with the job, which is sad, but I can’t change it.”

Feyenoord suspended Kazim-Richards for two weeks after the incident with the journalist, the final act of a fraught spell with the Dutch side. Celtic’s interest in him, therefore, made it an easy decision for the striker to leave for the 11th club of his career.

He added: “It’s been a difficult few weeks because I’ve not been able to be a footballer. I think my frustrations will come out in a good way because my wife has had a tough time over the past few weeks! But I knew something would happen. I have played a lot of good games for a lot of good teams. When Celtic came up I was like, “Is this for real?” I had a conversation with the manager and then sat on it for a day in Rotterdam pestering my agent.

“Celtic still needed to do a bit of due diligence and then the call came and I jumped on a plane last night. I have been at a few big clubs but they have had no plan or ambition. Celtic told me “this is what’s going on and this is what has to happen”. I said “right, let’s go then”.

“I have a family and it gets tough moving them around all the time. Celtic is a family too and it’s weird to have that because at some clubs you train but then don’t speak to players or have their numbers. Here it suits me well.”