Celtic made the first significant spend of the Ange Postecoglou and Dom McKay era yesterday by splashing £3.5m on Israeli winger, Liel Abada. The 19-year-old has made 48 career starts and 19 substitute appearances in senior football, all for Maccabi Petah Tikva.
After Liam Shaw (20) and Osaze Urhoghide (21 this month) joined from Sheffield Wednesday for training compensation fees, Abada’s signing is further indication that Celtic are intent on developing a team, rather than attempting to buy finished articles (like the definitely finished Shane Duffy). Two years from now, we should see the benefits of this approach, but as you know, there is a lot of football to be played before then.
What can you tell about a player who has played as few games as Liel, all of them in Israel? Israeli football is not a backwater, it is strong enough to test a teenage talent but the volume written about 48 starts will be a short book. With added travel restrictions, we can be sure he has not been watched often.
We are in familiar territory in signing players after so few appearances. Virgil van Dijk made 63 starts before signing for Celtic. Since then, the window before players with speculative potential reach eye-watering prices has shrunk. If we left Liel another year, we may find his progressed stalled, or that he has moved out our price range. We are going to kiss a lot of frogs when shopping in this sector, which is OK.
I had hoped Leigh Griffiths would remain at Celtic this season and was pleased when he signed a new one-year deal earlier this month – what feels like a long time ago. For me, yesterday’s news that he will not face criminal proceedings does not restore his position as a Celtic player. Better for all that he finds a new club as soon as possible.
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Big Judith looking glorious 😎
TIMBHOY 2
Hibs are not daft.
“Celtic are intent on developing a team, rather than attempting to buy finished articles (like the definitely finished Shane Duffy)”
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Duffy was never a good fit – more suited to a deep-defending team, although your comments on his arrival are interesting:
“he is still only 28, which is the middle of the peak years for many central defenders. We have recruited a player who will be influential in the chase for 10.”
https://www.celticquicknews.co.uk/shaun-duffy-and-space-for-a-project/
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“Better for all that he finds a new club as soon as possible.”
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Ideally two years ago!
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Don’t know what to make of Abada, but a bit worrying that we have gone back to our preferred go-to agent “Hand u a Dud”.
Hopefully we have a good one this time.
What’s the point again in a youth set up, very few get a chance
And yet we annually sign 4, 5,6 – 19 or 20 year olds, holding back our own
Latest project another Duda Duhan Israeli league 5’6″ star
How many frogs have we kissed from that source
ST TAMS on 15TH JULY 2021 1:30 PM
ZIGGYDOC1
I gave up at Bitton.
____
I know it’s ridiculous that we may again have to play Bitton there in a qualifier. We don’t know if Ajer will play. We don’t have a proper right back and Ajer is probably best in that position. I actually think if Ajer plays, he’ll be in the centre with Ralston at right back. Uroghide might be risked. At one point last night I thought he looked decent but noticed he had a tendency to dive in and sold himself a couple of times. Every year we moan about how unprepared we are but this is unbelievable. Big boy Murray looked good last night for the short time he was on. Anyone heard of anyone getting a ticket for Saturday?
think will go with 3 at the back with 2 in front of them , 4 further upfield and 1 up top.
Ziggydoc
One of my mhates got a message last Friday to say he has a seat
I meant to finish on last post
Give Montgomery, Hjelde, Murray a chance before we sign all these other 19 or 20 year old projects
Where is Luca Connell, or Lee O’Connor ?
PS, would play Montgomery 10 times out 10 in front of our other current Left backs
Ziggydoc- know of a couple, both in the fatcats lounge……🙄
EL @ 1.33
LG vs BoJo — Not sure who has had the police at their door most often regarding their engagement with the female sex.
My money would be on BoJo for what its worth.
Plus he had the quality control that you needed to be 18 — or did you … — to get into the Speccie Christmas Party where he auditioned for next year’s mistress.
Classy bloke is our BoJo.
A party on a yacht was another of his specialities.
A yacht owned by a Russian oligarch if you don’t mind.
The monday morning flight back must have been a challenge.
Especially if you were half cut and coked out yer heid — allegedly I must add.
Regarding LG and his trawling of the interweb looking for girls who are flashing the knicker elastic — does LG throw them back because they are too old –your nonce comment — or does he throw them back because they are too young?
I have no idea and I suspect neither have you.
No matter he should calm his jets and buy a fishing rod or a shed.
Rumour, Ajer to Brentford, £13.5 million
KA going to Brentford.
Interesting regarding their heavy use of numbers based analytics.
They have gotten a bargain — we should have held out for £20mill.
He will be the next VVD — his ground game / carrying the ball out from the back will be the talk of MotD in the near future.
Nir Bitton 152 Celtic appearances
Hatem Abd Elhamed 13 appearances
Beram Kayal 86 apps
Efe Ambrose 113 apps
Ismaila Soro 19 apps
We certainly did a lot of kissing with that set of Dahan frogs, and we’re moving onto heavy petting with Soro.
Nir Bitton has had over 30 caps for Israel but he is not good enough to play for Celtic. Have I got that right?
In the real world, I am sure it is not easy to convince players above that calibre that the SPFL is the place for them
SONSOFERIN on 15TH JULY 2021 2:36 PM
`and we’re moving onto heavy petting with Soro.`
:-)))
Huns not getting their own way again.
Riots anyone ?
Who would win in fight between Brentford and AC Milan?
Centre Back next signing.
“ADI_DASSLER NOT FOR 2ND BEST on 15TH JULY 2021 2:48 PM
Huns not getting their own way again.”
What is that about?
NORRIEM on 15TH JULY 2021 2:03 PM
Ziggydoc
One of my mhates got a message last Friday to say he has a seat
I meant to finish on last post
Give Montgomery, Hjelde, Murray a chance before we sign all these other 19 or 20 year old projects
Where is Luca Connell, or Lee O’Connor ?
____
Definitely like the look of the first three. Watched O’Connor playing for Tranmere in a playoff game. Wouldn’t judge him too much on that, but I wouldn’t have noticed him other than the fact he was one of ours. Hopefully get ticket for Tuesday.
BTW, big Ajer is brilliant at carrying the ball forward and is very quick. He’s not that good in the air and not to great at passing. Funny thing is, big julien is good in air, is slow but has great long range passing.
£13,500,000 for a centre back who cant tackle or jump.
Incredible.
Now if we’d played him in his natural midfield position we’d be getting £25,000,000.
Incompetent management.
If you ask me!
Away back tae ma sangria and sun lounger.
`Huns not getting their own way again.”`
Anyone know what Adi Dassler is referring to?
Huns might be moaning about getting 2k to attend Arsenal game….
If all 2,000 huns sing songs of hatred, is that still a minority?
SonsofErin, a bit unfair on Beram, he was a star in the making until that thug elbows crocked him before doing a kevin thomson and slapping the ground feigning injury.
After that he wisnae interested and who could blame him. It did give big Victor who couldnae wait tae leave his opportunity
Bada
Thanks.
Some of the numbers do seem inconsistent. For instance,500 were allowed into Gayfield ( Arbroath) last night.
Also, Tannadice is to get 2,000…….and they are all going to be in the same stand !!
Italian clubs Chievo and Novara heading for bankruptcy, al Italian clubs must prove their financial stability before being allowed to register for the new season, the aim is to stop clubs going under during the season. It will never catch on here !
Very enjoyable read Pablo …
“We are going to kiss a lot of frogs when shopping in this sector, which is OK”
If I may be permitted to borrow and extend your analogy?
Yes it is OK to kiss a lot of frogs if you are spending sizeable sums on the minority of these “potential frogs”
So forking out for Abada (19) is ok if we’re simultaneously paying chump change for the Shaw’s (20) and Urhoghides (21) of the world.
Final point on “potential frogs”?
I don’t think anyone would reasonably object to this recruitment strategy in this specific age group.
But we’ve suffered a fair bit with some questionable seven figure fee signings in the age 23+ bracket in the past decade.
Could happen to any club I suppose …
.. but some of these guys turned up croaking and without any discernable fear of water on the boil?
Re Griffiths – the police may have cleared him but if the girl was under 16 he has behaved inappropriately towards her and in my opinion should be jettisoned.
Brentford buy Ajer to help them stay in the EPL ? They can always cash in on him on the way back down .
NorrieM
Agree with you re playing youngsters.
I was talking to an Scotland youth coach recently and he was saying how the top players have “all” played 100 odd first team games by the time they are 20 (could have been 21).*
There’s no point signing these players, hoping their value will increase, if we aren’t playing them.
*It’s one of the reasons I’d be happy if we signed Lewis Ferguson
@PHILBHOY on 15TH JULY 2021 3:02 PM
Ajer isn’t a midfielder or a full back. He’s a CB. He isn’t the strongest in the air but his qualities lie at CB.
It’s instructive that the club who bases their purchases on data and analytics picked him up.
I’m surprised he didn’t go to a better club off the bat – I thought after Tierney it would be more likely the case. Still, we has such a bad year last year that it has probably put many prospective buyers off.
I think he will flourish down there and get a big money move.
Brentford are the poster child of new age football.
All data analysis and number crunching.
They go for value so we are under-selling KA and then some.
Everybody will be looking to find out if their business / football model works at the top level.
However they are not the team that the EPL want in their division.
10th best supported team in London with a history of playing second fiddle to QPR.
Just what East Asia is desperate to spend their money on — not quite.
Heavy Danish influence with one of our own working behind the scenes.
At least they will be a bit more lively than Bournemouth.
If he ends up there then the best of luck to KA.
Shame he outgrew us.
£13.5 million is good money for a guy with 1 year left…
£13.5mill is a very low price for a player of his talent and ability.
Brentford would not have bought him if they couldn’t see value in it for them.
There would have ben more money on the table if we could have waited.
However we are desperate so standards have to loosened a little.
The one year thing is a smokescreen put up to cover the failures of our coaching and business staff specifically PL.
If we were the team we could be then KA stays a bit longer until he gets a move to team that can realistically win the CL. We are giving him away to a team that for most of its days lived in the shadow of a company that made sheets and bedding — not good for a club of our size / history.
£13.5 is good money for a poor positional defender who can’t header the ball or tackle.