According to the latest reports from the Scottish Sun, Celtic are all set to sign Hapoel Beer Sheva’s defender Hatem Abd Elhamed on a four-year deal. The transfer fee is £1.6m plus add ons. The defender was left out of his side’s Europa League qualifying tie with Albanian side KF Laci.
His manager Barak Bakhar confirmed that the defender is set to join Celtic as he said, ”It’s natural that Hatem will go to a big club like Celtic that pays him a lot of money.” The new signing is expected to earn £7,000/week. Celtic will also have an option to extend one more year on the four-year contract.
Why are Celtic interested in a defender?
The club lost two centre backs from last season as Filip Benkovic and Dedryck Boyata departed from the club. The Hoops recently went on to sign Christopher Jullien from Toulouse for big money. One might feel that the club can still bring in one more centre back at the club as a backup option. Jack Hendry might need some more time before he can be seen as a first-team option. So it is the right decision from Lennon to sign a new defender.
What will Abd Elhamed bring to the table?
One of the primary reasons why we think Celtic are going ahead with this signing is the 28-year old’s versatility. Predominantly a central defender, Abd Elhamed can slot in as a right-back when required. That is one position where Celtic desperately need options and the 28-year-old might be seen as one of the plausible options for the right fullback position after his signing.
Abd Elhamed has been a bit of a late bloomer as he made his national team debut not too long ago. His impressive performances in the Israel division got him attention from Celtic. The defender has also spent two seasons with Belgian heavyweights Gent. The 28-year-old is known for his impressive strength and ability to carry the ball from the back.
It’s tough to gauge how this signing will pan out as performing in a new league and a new country could be tough for anyone. The physicality and style of play of the Scottish Premiership will probably require some adjustment to Elhamed’s game. Nevertheless, he is an experienced candidate with some exposure to playing in the Europa League as well.
Therefore we can expect him to settle in. Celtic fans will hope that their new signing doesn’t turn out to be a dud like Marvin Compper.
