Neil Lennon has discussed why Celtic simply had to provide an exit route for Hatem Elhamed today.
The Israeli right-back had his move back to his homeland confirmed this afternoon. The 2019 Celtic signing returned to former club Hapoel Be’er Sheva after reportedly being unsettled in Scotland [Scottish Sun].
Lennon confirmed that to be the case after Saturday’s 2-1 home win against Motherwell [BBC]. Elhamed, therefore, departs the club after only making 30 appearances for the club [Transfermarkt].
And speaking to BBC Radio Sportsound before tonight’s clash with St Mirren [10/02, 19:54], Lennon revealed Elhamed’s unhappiness had been showing in both his work ethic and training performances.
“He has yeah (officially left the club] and he’s gone back to Be’er Sheva.
“He made it clear for a few months that he was very unhappy. That was apparent in his demeanour and his work ethic and his training performances.
“So as a duty of care to the player it was the right thing to do.”
Lennon makes fair point; important not to judge Elhamed for Celtic exit
It’s so easy to simply question Elhamed’s professionalism regarding his training performances and work ethic. Many may question why he didn’t continue to give 100% when called upon.
But this would be a misunderstanding of the situation. Just because he may not have been working as hard as he maybe had before, this doesn’t mean it was due to a poor attitude. Not having his family in Scotland and being unsettled (or effectively homesick), can easily drain an individual.
It’s clear Elhamed’s head just wasn’t in it here. So much so that his mind may not have allowed his body to give it all he could. Because he was simply feeling too down in Scotland. The right-back’s issues here were clearly psychological. You can’t blame an individual for that – everyone is different.
In any case, this isn’t a loss that’s going to be felt too much this season. Elhamed may have made 15 appearances this term in Glasgow, but his last appearance was a 17-minute cameo at Ibrox. Hatem last played 90 minutes for the club back in October.
It’s important to remember that he leaves Celtic a treble-winner. He leaves Parkhead with three medals more than many other Hoops players have managed in the past.
Celtic have reportedly managed to secure £800k for his services too. Weighing everything up, you can understand the club and Elhamed’s decision.
In other news, take a look at the Celtic fans’ reaction to tonight’s starting line-up vs St Mirren.
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