Abd Elhamed, Hatem

Started off on a high, with his first game at Ibrox he was outstanding at right back then moved into central defence for the second where he had a great game. Possibly peaked early here in a Celtic match with a number of good performers on the day with Celtic winning comfortably 2-0.

Frustratingly he was to be repeatedly injured in his first season, and out for lengthy periods. The premature end of the 2019/20 season due to the coronavirus pandemic didn’t help matters, and he had lost a lot of gametime. He was well liked but Celtic had a history of full-backs who were injury prone, and the fans were frustrated at this. The last thing he would have wanted was to have adopted the tag of ‘sicknote‘ by the supporters.

He was competing with the increasingly popular youngster Frimpong for the right-back berth, and absences were not going to help his chances. Lennon had once marked him for centre-half positions. There was also loanee Moritz Bauer, brought in as extra cover due to Hatem’s injuries, but it turned out that Moritz Bauer was no real competition to Elhamed.

Celtic went on to win the league title in the curtailed season due to Covid, a very key season that saw Celtic match the record nine league titles in a row, and complete the quadruple treble. An incredible achievement, albeit it was clear that the first team were coming unstuck.

So season 2020/21 was to be the key one, and for Elhamed to seal his name in the first team he needed to really prove himself. However, in the first half of the season everything seemed to be going wrong, and Elhamed was out injured repeatedly again. He was in competition with Frimpong for the right-back role, but where Frimpong was poor in certain areas Elhamed was strong in those but vice versa too. As the defence leaked goals, there were calls for Elhamed to return to the first team, but when he was back in the side, his performances were generally concerning despite his giving his best. Neither right-back was proving to fit the bill.

He often came unstuck against tougher opposition, and this didn’t help Celtic who had hit a rut. He was often a good technical player who never really looked like he had enough to his game to excel to the next level.

To critics, whereas at first he was composed on the ball and unafraid of a tackle, as he got found out, players began to almost glide past him with ease and he began to make the same mistakes over and over. In fairness, the whole defence was poor and the coaching & tactics left a lot to be desired.

It didn’t help when he was out of the first match v Sevco which Celtic lost in 2020/21 due to testing positive from Covid after being on international duty. Many in time struggled to pick out a key performance by him for a long period, although he had some good performances such as in the incredible match v Lazio away in season 2019/20 which Celtic won 2-1 and the previously mentioned 2-0 win at Ibrox.

He made public his loneliness being cut off from his family (based in Israel) due to Covid restrictions, and compassionate grounds were given by manager Neil Lennon for Hatem Abd Elhamed being allowed to leave the club in February 2021. In truth he wasn’t going to be a big loss to Celtic’s underperforming first team but he was still respected as a person. He always did give his best when he played, and behaved professionally.

“He was going through a really difficult time, his wife and son were back in Israel and he was here on his own and he was really struggling with life away from the training ground and stadium. We have to take into consideration the human factor on that. I wouldn’t say he was suffering with depression but he was very low, so we have made the right decision for him and the club.” (Neil Lennon)

A deal was agreed to return to his old club Hapoel Be’er Sheeva for a cut price £800k in February 2021. He was leaving the Celtic first team in a poorer state than when he had first arrived, in particular the defence. He wasn’t an answer to the problems going forward and the move was for the best at a Celtic that needed a drastic overhaul.

We wished him well.

Quotes

Question: “Who’s got the worst music taste in the dressing room?”
Elhamed: “I am always on my headphones listening to the Arabic music I like so I don’t listen much to what’s being played in the dressing room.”

“He trusts me in the big games, and I am happy that I show him again and again that I deserve his trust and I am looking forward to playing good again, to keep myself fit and have a good season and stay free of injury. I came to Celtic and start my career here very good and I was happy for three months, then I had bad luck and get a big injury against Lazio and then I didn’t start an official game until the last game (before lockdown), so it was very strange for me because I’d never had such a large time out without being able to play football. But I focused on training to get myself fit and waiting for my chance to play again and show my qualities on the pitch and hopefully I can play more in the future.”
ElHamed (Aug 2020)

Playing Career

Honours with Celtic

Pictures

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KDS

• First thread (2019)

Neil Lennon admits Hatem Abd Elhamed shock as Celtic boss raves about right back

-https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/foo … d-20730308

On the surface it looks like Neil Lennon has the dilemma of having three class right-backs to chose from at Celtic.
Deep down, though, he has shown there’s one who matters most.
Hatem Abd Elhamed turned in another stellar show on the
European stage against Lazio on Thursday night, cementing himself as the true heir to Mikael Lustig’s eight-season Hoops crown.
Moritz Bauer and Jeremie Frimpong are both more than decent pretenders to the throne.
But when push has come to shove, in the Europa League or the Ibrox derby, the Israeli’s name has been on the team sheet.
Yet Lennon has a
confession over the
international defender – when he was recruiting El Hamed he was constantly looking for the catch.

Why is a guy with all these qualities, the physicality, the quick feet, the versatility to play centre-half or full-back, only going to cost the club £1.6million?
When something seems too good to be true then it almost always is.
Lennon said: “For the money we bought him for he’s proving to be real value for money. But we looked and looked and looked at him.
“Then we looked at him again and were always wondering: ‘What’s wrong with him? Where is the flaw?’
“Every time, though, we went back to him, looked at the footage again and looked at other players.
“And finally we thought: ‘We’ve got to trust our eyes, trust our instincts.’
“I’ve a good relationship with his agent who was waxing lyrical about Hatem … as agents do. But he has been true to his word so far – Hatem has been excellent.
“He has a good temperament and played strongly against Lazio.

“He’s a good type. We’re still getting to know him as a personality. He’s very quiet away from the training ground.
“But he’s a hungry boy and I like that. He has waited a long time for a chance like this one. He has done the rounds in Europe and Israel.
“And there’s no shortage of quality there either. He had a wee back heel in the second half against Lazio and the crowd went potty – so did I!
“He’s capable. I don’t know whether he played further up the pitch when he was younger but you can see he’s comfortable on the ball.
“The defensive side of his game was strong against Lazio, particularly in the first half, and his quality on the ball is very good. Hatem has a good pace about him as well.
“He can be delighted with his
contribution. He gets a little bit frustrated not playing all the time but in the
important games he has stood up and been brilliant for us.”
While Elhamed may be quiet, he’s not short on self-assurance. Solid at the back, on the front foot, working with James Forrest, he’ll be trying step-overs and flicks and tricks in the right areas and has the confidence to try the unexpected.

The 28-year-old Israeli said: “Yeah, this is my way of playing.
“I have very good technique and my physical level is very high,
“I am also calm on the ball and that has helped me to gain confidence. When I have that confidence I think I am a
good player.
“And I think the gaffer trusts me,
especially in the big games.
“I played two full matches for Israel in the international break so he wanted to give me some rest in the league.
“That is OK but every player wants to go again so I am happy with my
performance against Lazio.”
He won’t have been the only one – and the defensive unity is growing by the week for a back four that is virtually now picking itself – Elhamed, Kris Ajer, Chris Jullien and Boli Bolingoli.
The Israeli
said: “During the games you get a better connection with each other. You speak a lot during the game so when you play a lot together you become much better and you see this from week to week.

“Our back line is now very strong and difficult for opponents to take on. We want to keep that.
“And the competition at right-back is very good because it means when you get your chance to play you need to show your quality.
“I’ve tried to play well in every game since I came here. I am happy with that and I want to go again.”
If Elhamed
ever does lose his place to one of the
competition, however, he has other options for a jersey.
Lennon said: “Ideally I actually think Hatem’s a centre-half but he can play both positions well.
“When he slotted in at centre-half at Ibrox he was fantastic.

“It’s just the pairing we’ve got there, with Chris Jullien and Kris Ajer, is working out well so far.
“Hatem can slot in at right-back or if we go to a back three, as we did on
Thursday, he can slot in there. He’s
proficient in the tactical side of the game.
“But I’m just delighted the way he’s fitting in, so far. Julien, Boli Bolingoli, Moi Elyounoussi are all starting to really find their feet.
“And with the quality
players we already had we now look a good side.
“We beat a good side in midweek and it’s just important we
maintain that consistency.”

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REVEALED: WHY UNHAPPY STAR MUST QUIT CELTIC

-https://www.celticquicknews.co.uk/revealed-why-unhappy-star-must-quit-celtic/
By CQN Magazine on 10th December 2020 Latest News

HATEM ABD ELHAMED has explained the reasons why he is likely to be heading for the Celtic exit next month.

Three Israeli clubs are monitoring the unhappy Hoops star’s situation with Maccabi Tel Aviv, Maccabi Haifa and Beitar Jerusalem poised to make a move if they get the green light.

International defender Elhamed joined the champions in a £1.2million switch from Hapoel Be’er Sheva last summer, but has failed to settle in a new country.

The 29-year-old right-back or centre-half, who is likely to miss tonight’s Europa League Group H tie against Lille at Parkhead through injury, revealed his lonely Glasgow existence and explained his struggles.

Elhamed, speaking to the Scottish Sun, said: “It is very difficult. My wife and son had a hard time adjusting to life in Scotland for many reasons.

“My wife has a successful career in Israel. We thought she would work here, but she did not get a work permit.

“My son came here at five and had difficulties with the language and finding friends, so we thought it would be better for them to go back to Israel and visit me from time to time.

“Unfortunately, the coronavirus made that impossible. Life is different. I am used to more social life, and the days pass more slowly than in Israel.

“I am alone here. I finish training and go straight home. I do not leave the house much — and it was like that even before the virus.”

Elhamed still has over two years left on his contract, but the Parkhead club are likely to listen to offers in the January transfer window.

His former Be’er Sheva boss Barak Bakhar is now in charge of Maccabi Haifa and will lead the chase for the experienced Israeli ace.