Hatem Abd Elhamed

I hope that he's a success here.

I always get a buzz when we sign someone, whatever my initial thoughts. I think that I even managed to convince myself that Hendry was a football player.

 

Looks a good player from the little I've seen and off the back of some good season's getting capped also..

I don't know if it's just me but I'm reading that that he won't be our first team right back and we're down the line with other's..

No sure. Think he'll fill in for now until we get our main one in..

 

Celtic boss Neil Lennon has talked about the qualities that likely signing Hatem Abd Elhamed will bring to Chis side and says he wants more new signings to join the Israeli.

Lennon confirmed that a deal had been agreed with Hapoel Be'er Sheva for the right-back with paperwork and the player's medical still to be concluded but he believes Celtic have identified a player that will bring what he wants to the back line.

"We think he's a good player," the manager said. "He's strong defensively and comfortable on the ball. He's very quick.


"I think he'd be a good addition to the squad and the players we already have here.

"He can play at centre half as well.

"I think we're getting a good player who is hungry. People look at his age but he's a fresh 28.

His last three seasons he's played very well at a good level and we've been very impressed with what we've seen from him."

Lennon revealed that he had asked Celtic's Israeli midfielder Nir Bitton for his take on Elhamed before making a bid and that he had consulted others while doing his research on the full-back.

"We leaned on a few people," he said. "I spoke to [former Celtic midfielder] Beram Kayal and a few other people I know from within Israeli football and they all spoke very highly of him.


We've done very well with Israel-based players over the years if you think of Bitton, Kayal, Ambrose. I got a good goalkeeper into Hibs in Marciano. It's been a decent market for us."

Elhamed's transfer won't be completed before the deadline for the Champions League second qualifying round against Nomme Kalju but Lennon is hoping that he can bring in more new faces as quickly as possible. He's targeting another right-back and then aims to bring in another attacker but he said that the transfer market was tough to negotiate and that the club were working hard to ensure value for money.

"Considering how it was four or five years ago in my first spell here there's no question that the market has risen rapidly, whether it be wages or transfer fees," he said.

"It's not like we haven't got money to spend but we want to spend it wisely if we can.

"Sometimes you're looking for resaleable value in a player but we've got a lot of assets in the squad already.

"We just want to get quality in at the right price and not overstretch ourselves."

One player who won't be joining is former Leicester City defender Danny Simpson. Lennon explained why a trial has been cancelled, saying other options were being targeted for the right side of defence.

"We were down the line with Elhamed and we have one or two other options so we just felt it would be futile for Danny to come in if he sees us bringing in a couple of players in his specific position," he said. "So we decided to call off the trial on Friday."

 

I managed to get excited over Youssouf Mulumbu ffs, always a good feeling when a player (that isn't Mckenna) is signed.

 

Cant believe he isreali the best we can do for right back....

 

Your gonna get a tel (Aviv) off for that

 

The fact that this was done through an agent that we have contacts with the club (Dudu Dahan), on the advice of a former player (Kayal) and a current player (Bitton) should give people a small bit of insight on the * damage Congerton’s done to our scouting network.

 

So strange we are signing a CB to play RB.

But it’s a positive he can play both positions, as long as he isn’t 1st choice.

 

Not weirder than when we bought a £60k rapid striker to play right back right enough

 

You’re not wrong tbf

 

When has Dudu Duhan ever sold us a dud cmon!

 

Today was the first I got aeound to looking at some.vids of this guy.

Granted it was only Youtube, but the majority of highlights he was playing RB and looked very decent indeed.

Quick, powerful and seemed as though he read the game well.

Also looks like he may provide an attacking aerial threat from set pieces which Lennon loves and * knows we need.

Looking forward to seeing what he can do for us.

 

Just went back and watched the video's of him and think he'll turn out a decent signing. The first video he looks like he's playing rb in just about every clip and the second one he's playing as a midfielder. Actually looks like a decent attacking full back which could be good with him on one side and KT or Boli on the other.

With them and Forrest, Johnston, Sinclair & Shved, it's looking good in an attacking sense.

 

Aye going by his highlights it looks like he can head the ball. A Lennon player.

 

Agreed. Every video he's looked more than decent..

Rapid, can defend and is aggressive..

If he is to play right back at time's then can see him being useful bombing on the overlap..

 

Work permit granted!

Just medical needing done