JOHN HARTSON insists Celtic should not be put off attempting to sign Dundee United striker Nadir Ciftci if he is found guilty of biting in Sunday's Tayside derby.
It is alleged that Ciftci sank his teeth into Dundee midfielder Jim McAlister's knee as the two players tangled on the pitch - something that is being strenuously denied by the Tannadice club.
The SFA have launched an investigation into the incident and there is little doubt that the Turkish striker faces a lengthy suspension if he is found guilty.
However, former Celtic striker Hartson says this should not dampen the determination of Ronny Deila to make a move for Ciftci this summer, much in the same way that Barcelona completed a deal for Luis Suarez from Liverpool despite his shocking behaviour at last year's World Cup in Brazil.
Hartson said: "He's a player I like. He's strong, he's big, but there is no place for that in football.
"I have not seen it but if he is guilty and it's plain to see - and we saw it with Suarez - there is no room for it.
"It's a poor reaction from him .You can accept an elbow and people throwing their arms out but there is no place for biting.
"I don't know if it will put people off. I've always thought people should be given another chance.
"I'm sure he will put his case forward but if he is found guilty then I'm sure it's something he will be ashamed about.
"Barcelona weren't put off Suarez, were they?
"He will have to face his punishment and take it on the chin. If he learns from it and moves on then why not?
"He is a very good player. He has physical presence and is someone like myself who throws his weight around.
"I think he could be like Chris Sutton - someone that Stokes and Griffiths could play off. So I don't think it will put Celtic off.
"If it puts him out of a few matches and they won't have him until four or five games into the season they might think about it then.
"But if they get him on a three or four-year contract then that time could be made up.
"It's something the manager might think about but maybe it might put the fee down."
Hartson was infamously involved in a training-ground incident with Eyal Berkovic at West Ham when he kicked the Israeli striker in the face.
Even although he was one of the most successful strikers in English football and a major force for Celtic in the Martin O'Neill era, that act of thuggery followed him wherever he went.
He said: "I was 23 when the Berkovic thing happened 17 years ago and when I talk to West Ham fans they don't talk about my 40 goals and how I single-handedly kept them up.
"People always remember the negative and it might be the same for Ciftci. I don't know.
"He is on the verge of a big move to Celtic. I can't speak for the boy. He will have to explain his own actions."
Suarez is the football world's most famous biter having been banned three times.
He received a seven-game ban for an offence on PSV Eindhoven midfielder Otman Bakkal during his Ajax days. At Liverpool he was banned for 10 matches for biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic and he landed a four-month suspension for biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini playing for Uruguay in Brazil.
Hartson added: "There is no room for biting in football. You can get away with kicking someone, barging into someone but you can't bite - especially after the high-profile incident with Suarez at the World Cup."
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