Abd Elhamed Adds Utility
Hatem Abd Elhamed becomes Celtic’s 4th signing of the Summer. And in some ways, the most intriguing. Celtic transfers always seem to be long drawn out affairs, and the 28 year-olds, with 1 International Cap for Israel, was no exception. What can Celtic expect from him?
Background
The following article is a useful primer, from Sports Rabbi. Elhamed has not had the most conventional of careers and at 28 has appeared in only 188 matches. It is claimed he only took up the game at aged 16. He went to Belgium at a very early age (19) and this did not work out. He found regular football back at the same club Celtic signed Ambrose from – FC Ashdod. Impressing there looked to have won him a contract at Dinamo Bucharest. Despite an encouraging spell, they did not take up that option. Instead, he was transferred to the same club Lustig has just joined – KAA Gent. Once again there was no success in Belgium and he was loaned back to FC Ashdod. Finally, a transfer to Hapoel Be’er Sheva has seen the return of form and international recognition – albeit a brief substitute appearance – on for our own Bitton!
Playing Style
The Sports Rabbi article describes him thus: “Elhamed is tall (1.86 Meters) which helps him with his heading ability, perhaps one of the best in Israel, as he won 61 out of 84 aerial battles this past season. Elhamed was one of the fastest defenders in the Israeli league, is a decent passer, and an excellent tackler, as he won 75 tackles out of the 108 he attempted.” Other articles appearing recently have also highlighted his pace.
Position
With the search for a right back exercising many Celtic fans’ minds, the fact Elhamed has appeared in that position has led to conjecture he may be one of the two right backs Lennon claims to be after. The good news (in my opinion) is that I cannot see this is the case. If you look at his appearance data for current club Hapoel Be’er Sheva, his appearances break down as follows:
He is a right back in the same sense Ajer or Hendry are. That is, capable of standing in that position but not his primary role. He is more likely to be an occasional cover for Brown as a defensive midfielder. He currently plays in the number 44 shirt but has previously worn 4 and 25. Both those are taken and 44 was worn by Church last season.
Performance Data
As he does not play in one of the major European leagues, performance data is scarce. At the most basic level, his 188 appearances have seen him play 13,897 minutes, the equivalent of 154 full 90 minutes. In this time, he has scored 8 goals and is credited with 4 assists. This is roughly similar to Simunovic’s scoring contribution rate (0.07 goals and assists per 90m). With 38 Yellow Cards and 3 reds he averages 0.26 cards per 90m. This would put him up with the most penalised Celt of recent time – Sviatchenko. Data is available for the 2017/18 Europa League campaign from WhoScored?. Some highlights:
It is very difficult to make comparisons between leagues. This data was from an unsuccessful Europa League campaign, i.e. in a struggling team. They are very similar numbers for Celtic central defenders so some cautions optimism from a very small sample (470 minutes).
Experience
As we have seen, despite his age, he is not very experienced in terms of matches played. Elhamed has 1 Champions League qualifier and 6 Europa League ties to his name. Hapoel Be’er Sheva came 4th in a group with FC Lugano, Viktoria Plzen and Steaua Bucharest, recording 1 win. He was kept out of this seasons Europa League qualifying win over Laci in anticipation of this move. As mentioned, he won his first Israeli cap in June 2019 versus Poland playing 8 minutes.
Injuries
You are not a Celtic defender if you are not perpetually injured. The good news is that he has missed 9 games with an abdominal strain in 2017/18 and 4 games last season with a head injury. But that is it.
Summary
Lennon claimed to want five starters this summer. Connell is a project whilst Bolingoli and Jullien make up two of the five. In my opinion, Elhamed is the 4th centre back and will be behind Ajer, Jullien and Simunovic initially. He gives the squad depth and versatility being able to step into defensive midfield and, if required, right back. I wouldn’t count him as one of Lennon’s five starters. Three to go then. Elhamed appears to be a late-bloomer and someone driven by personal tragedy. This will be the biggest move of his career given his age. Welcome to Celtic, Elhamed, and all the best for the future.
For Pete. RIP with love.
"And the stars look very different today"