Liel Abada refused to entertain talk of a future move from Celtic as he simply stated he’s enjoying his time at Parkhead in an interview with Israeli media.
Abada has just come through a fantastic breakthrough season in which he managed to score 15 goals and nab 11 assists in only 54 appearances [Transfermarkt].
The former Maccabi Petah Tikva starlet has been a huge figure for Ange Postecoglou. So much so that it’s easy to forget Liel is only 20 years of age.
He’s been discussing his time at Celtic with Israeli outlet Sport 5, as he ruled out any thoughts of a potential transfer move anytime soon.
“It is not right at the moment to talk about what will happen next. I just finished my first season at Celtic. I’m having fun here, I’m good here. What’s next? I can’t know.
“I have returned to Israel. I will be with family and friends and we will prepare ourselves for next season. There’s a team and right now it’s not right to talk about what’s going to happen [in the future].
“Next season will be very significant. It’s my childhood dream to play in the Champions League.”
Liel Abada’s Celtic future a long-term one
This is the kind of talk our players are going to have to face up to – especially when they talk to media back in their respective homelands. There will undoubtedly be a clamour from pundits and journalists in Israel to see Liel play at the top level as soon as possible.
But the truth is he still has a long way to go before he reaches that stage. He’s still to truly nail down a spot at Parkhead as his own first and foremost. Let’s not forget we were generally ending the season with Daizen Maeda and Jota on either flank.
Not to mention there’s the prospect of UEFA Champions League football next season that Abada has yet to experience. Hopefully, that’s enough of a carrot in the coming years to keep him where he is for the foreseeable future.
Abada gave all the right words here. It certainly isn’t the time to be talking about what his next move would ideally be. Not after one season irrespective of how impressive it was. Given his age, there’s plenty of time to discuss a potential move elsewhere.
Credit to him for batting away the question. His only focus is clearly on stage 2 of Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic revolution. A revolution that Abada still has a huge role to play in.
His immediate target will be beating last season’s numbers and making a genuine impact in Europe’s premier club competition. If he does that, his stock will reach heights he couldn’t have imagined just 12 months ago.
In other news, Celtic goalkeeper Conor Hazard making strong start to life in Finland
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