The January transfer window for Celtic slammed shut at the start of last month and the Scottish giants were relatively busy in the market right up to the deadline.Nicolas Kuhn arrived on a permanent deal from Austrian outfit Rapid Wien before Adam Idah was snapped up on loan from English side Norwich City, with no option to buy at the end of the season. Brendan Rodgers also allowed David Turnbull to depart on a permanent basis as he completed a move to Cardiff City in the Championship. Meanwhile, Hyeok-kyu Kwon, Marco Tilio, and Mikey Johnson all had loan exits sanctioned by the Northern Irish tactician. They were prepared to let all three of those players depart and, as you can see in the table above, Johnson, in particular, has thrived in England with West Bromwich Albion. The window is not closed in all countries and another Celtic player is now reportedly set for a move away from Parkhead, for a fee that is millions lower than what he has been touted for in the past. According to Football Insider, Hoops forward Liel Abada is poised to complete a transfer to the MLS to end his almost-three-year stint in Glasgow. The report claims that the Israel international has reached a full agreement with Charlotte FC, who are managed by former Norwich and Aston Villa head coach Dean Smith, to join them ‘imminently’. It states that the Scottish giants have accepted an offer from the MLS side that is said to be worth in excess of £8m to become one of their designated players, and have since published an update that claims the deal could reach £10m with add-ons.
Football Insider claim that Abada was unsettled at Parkhead due to ‘major personal issues’ over the situation in his home country, and he is now set to move on from the club. Last month, Rodgers revealed that Abada was not in the right state of mind to take to the field for the Hoops due to the problems off the pitch, which made it a difficult situation for the player. He is now going to put that behind him by making the move to America to link-up with Charlotte, who have won one and drawn one in their opening two matches of the 2024 MLS campaign. It is an unfortunate situation, given Abada’s issues have not been primarily down to his performances on the pitch, and that is why it is hard to criticise Celtic for how it has played out. However, with the benefit of hindsight, the Hoops may regret not having cashed in on him in a previous transfer window when his value was higher, as they have potentially missed out on millions as a result. The winger was signed from Maccabi Petah Tikva for a reported fee of £3.5m during Ange Postecoglou’s first summer transfer window in charge of the club. By September of his second season, in 2022, Football Insider reported that the Hoops believed that Abada would be worth in excess of £15m in the next two transfer windows in 2023. Former Scotland manager Alex McLeish reacted to that valuation and claimed that it was “mind-boggling” and very difficult for Celtic to turn down if any offers came in at that price.
Football Insider then claimed in April 2023 that Premier League sides Crystal Palace and Southampton – who were then relegated to the Championship – were interested in a swoop for the forward. The Saints were also linked with Abada ahead of the January transfer window last year. However, they went on to splash a whopping £22m on forward Kamaldeen Sulemana from Ligue 1 side Rennes. This suggests that the English outfit had the money available to spend £15m+, that Celtic believed he could be worth just a few months prior, on a new winger. It remains unknown as to whether or not Southampton would have been prepared to spend that money on Abada, or if they were only willing to pay less than that. The Bhoys may look back with a tinge of regret as they could have pushed to sell him that window amid the Premier League interest in his services. There was not predicting the way things would turn out over the subsequent 12 months, however, and that is why they should not be heavily criticised for not opting to go down that route, even if it now appears that they missed out on millions as a result. The 22-year-old wizard hit the ground running during his first season at the club under Postecoglou with quality as a scorer and a creator from the wing. Abada made 36 appearances in the Scottish Premiership during the 2021/22 campaign and started 24 times as Celtic won the league title under the Australian head coach. The young gem caught the eye with his contributions at the top end of the pitch as he racked up ten goals, six assists, and 13 ‘big chances’ created in those 36 outings in the top-flight. Only Kyogo Furuhashi (12) and Giorgos Giakoumakis (13) scored more goals in the division for Celtic than the winger, whilst Jota (ten) was the only attacking midfielder to provide more assists for the club.
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