Celtic look set to finally sign some right-back cover this week, with the news that Hatem Abd Elhamed is set for a medical. Former captain Beram Kayal is positive about the move for his compatriot, but history suggests he may not be the answer for Neil Lennon.
According to The Daily Record, Kayal believes Abd Elhamed has the strength of character to win over the Celtic fans but admits he’s never seen him play at right-back.
It’s the key position of need for Celtic right now after Mikael Lustig, Jeremy Toljan and Cristian Gamboa left in the summer.
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Anthony Ralston was left as the only right-back in the squad, but Lennon preferred to play others out of position over him in the Champions League qualifiers against Sarajevo.
The biggest problem for Celtic is Abd Elhamed looks like a centre-back who can fill in on the right side, he’s not a specialist in the position.
When you look at his career, he’s played in central midfield more often than playing right-back, so the transfer looks much more like a stop-gap signing than a long-term solution.
Celtic need their full-backs to get forward and contribute in attack but the Israeli international has only been credited with two assists in 143 games is Israel.
He’s also had failed spells in Belgium and Romania whenever he has left his home country.
The Daily Record states a £1.6m fee has been agreed and a deal looks close, but Celtic fans will surely be hoping for an additional signing in defence going into the new season.
At this point Abd Elhamed looks a similar signing to Rami Gershon, who was billed as a versatile Israeli defender, but only lasted three games before being moved on.
