Liel Abada joined Celtic today on a five-year deal with the 19-year-old expressing his delight at joining the club. Speaking to the club website, the player couldn’t hide his delight at the move from Maccabi Petah Tikva.
“It feels amazing to sign for a club like Celtic. This is a huge club and it’s an honour to sign for Celtic. I know the fans are incredible. I have watched some Celtic games in Israel so I know how amazing these fans are and how special this stadium is. I can’t wait to get out on the pitch to play and help my teammates bring more success to the club.
“I’m looking forward to meeting my teammates and the manager. I have heard great things about the facilities at Lennoxtown so I’m excited to get out on the training pitch and get down to work.”
The right-winger scored 13 goals and notched 4 assists last season which resulted in a number of teams pursuing the highly-rated youngster. However, Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic sealed a deal today bringing him in to offer competition for James Forrest.
The player will join up with his teammates on Friday as the squad prepare for the FC Midtjylland game with a pre-season game versus Preston North End on Saturday at Paradise. He is focused on winning the league title and is dedicated to helping achieve this.
“My main aim to help the team win the title. That’s my focus and I will give everything I have in training and out on the pitch to help the club achieve this.”
Abada will be in the manager’s thoughts after Mikey Johnston and Karamoko Dembele were forced from the field with injuries. The pair looked in pain after they were subbed off, which will be a cause of concern for the Australian manager.
The Israeli will take the No.11 shirt that was vacated by Patryk Klimala, who departed for New York Red Bulls at the end of last season. Hopefully, Abada is more like the man that wore the number before Klimala, Scott Sinclair.