Beram Kayal has no doubt that Hatem Abd Elhamed will prove to be an asset for Celtic.
The defender is waiting on a work permit appeal to the SFA to complete his £1.6m transfer from Hapoel Be’er Sheva who have already waved him off.
The cynic would say that since both players share the same agent Kayal would be complimentary but there is more than platitudes in the detail that he shares about Elhamed.
Celtic’s pressing need is for a right-back, the Israeli has played the last two seasons as a central defender but Kayal is confident that Elhamed will make an impact whatever position he is asked to play in.
Speaking to the Daily Record Kayal said:
This is a big opportunity for Hatem. I’m so happy for him to get the chance to join a big club like Celtic. Obviously he asked me for advice because I would class him as a friend.What did I say to him? I told him that it will probably be the best day of his life when he signs for Celtic.
He’s a really good player and, most importantly, he’s ready to be a Celtic player. When you are joining such a big club as Celtic then you need experience and he has that now, including making his debut for the international team. He was in Gent in Belgium but it didn’t work out and he returned to Israel.
This is now the time for him as I believe he has a stronger mentality and he is more ?experienced. He’s really fast, knows how to defend and he’s calm with the ball at his feet. He can play in two positions, right back and centre back, so that versatility is also an advantage.
I know him as a centre back. I know he has played right back a few times so I don’t know what the club has planned for him. But with all due respect to the players who are at the club just now, he has to take this ?opportunity for himself and prove himself at such a big club. He is a winner and has a good character. I am sure he will fit well into the dressing room.
As soon as a decision is known on his work permit appeal Celtic will look to assess the fitness of Elhamed whose last outing was at the start of June with a brief substitute appearance for Israel against Poland.
Celtic have until 11pm on Tuesday to register two new signings for their Champions League second round qualifier against Nomme Kalju.