Neil Lennon is delighted to have added Hatem Abd Elhamed to his squad.
The defender became Celtic’s fourth summer signing after he completed a medical and gained a work permit.
Celtic are believed to have paid a fee of around £1.6m to Hapoel Be’er Sheva with the 28-year-old signing a four year contract with the Scottish champions.
“We are really pleased to bring Hatem to Celtic, another player we think can make an important contribution to the club,” Lennon told the Celtic website.
“He is a player with real attributes, he is strong and quick and I have been impressed with what I have seen of him. We look forward to welcoming him to Celtic and joining up with the squad.”
Right-back… Announced ?
Hatem Abd Elhamed has joined #CelticFC from Hapoel Be’er Sheva on a four-year contract! #WelcomeHatem ??????
?? https://t.co/U7mdH0mX02 pic.twitter.com/YjVR8lAEY5
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) July 24, 2019
Elhamed has been signed too late to be involved in the Champions League qualifiers against Nomme Kalju but should feature in a closed doors friendly against Manchester City’s u-23 side on Saturday.
Kris Ajer is expected to play at right-back tonight but despite playing mainly in central defence Elhamed could be given his first chance as a Celtic player at right back.
The signing of the Israeli brings Celtic’s summer spending total to £12m with Christopher Jullien, Luca Connell and Boli Bolingoli-Mbombo all signed up with Mikael Lustig, Dedryck Boyata, Emilio Izaguirre, Marvin Compper and Cristian Gamboa leaving the club.