Hapoel Be’er Sheva could offer Hatem Abd Elhamed the chance to leave Celtic in January with manager Yossi Abukasis hailing the ‘excellent’ Israel international, as reported by the Daily Record.
The versatile defender only swapped Hapoel for Glasgow in July 2019. But, after less than a year-and-a-half in Scotland, could he be heading back home already?
Elhamed admitted to the Scottish Sun last week that he was struggling to adapt to life in Britain, especially after his wife and son returned to Israel.
To make matters worse, the 29-year-old has been in and out of Neil Lennon’s team during what has descended into a farce of a campaign for the ailing Premiership champions.
Elhamed did his reputation no favours during those humiliating defeats to Sparta Prague and Ross County, before the fleet-footed Jens Pette Hauge ripped him and the rest of the Celtic backline apart at the San Siro two weeks ago.
If the Hoops are willing to listen to offers for a defender they signed for £1.6 million, Hapoel Be’er Sheva would happily offer him a return to a club where he lifted the Israeli Premier League two years ago.
“Hatem is an excellent player that every team would want to sign. If we can bring him here to the club it will be a huge blessing for us,” Abukasis explained.
“But, of course, there are some excellent players at the club already and we’ll have to wait and see.”
Elhamed’s adaptability was a major factor in Celtic’s willingness to pay near £2 million for his signature ahead of Neil Lennon’s first full season back at Parkhead.
But the ten-time international is no longer the first-choice right-back, nor an automatic pick at centre-half these days.
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