US-AWAY
Liel Abada completes Celtic exit as winger seals bumper transfer switch to MLS
He'll join up with a former Rangers rival at his new club
LIEL ABADA has completed his £8m transfer from Celtic to MLS side Charlotte FC.
The Israeli winger had been linked with a move away from Parkhead after not featuring in recent weeks due to personal concerns over the ongoing conflict in his homeland.
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Manager Brendan Rodgers had suggested a few weeks ago that Abada may have to move on to re-ignite his career.
And the 22-year-old has chosen to do so in the United States after signing a four-year deal with Charlotte – where former Rangers ace Scott Arfield will be one of his new teammates.
Abada joined Celtic from Israeli club Maccabi Petah Tikva in July 2021 for around £4m.
He quickly flourished in Ange Postecoglou’s side and was voted PFA Scotland’s Young Player of the Year at the end of his debut season.
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The forward helped Celtic to a treble the following season then signed a new four-year contract with the Hoops last September.
That was meant to keep him at Parkhead until at least 2027.
But the war in Israel placed additional pressure on him from hardliners at home, not happy that the he was playing at a club where a large percentage of the supporters have a pro-Palestinian stance.
Charlotte have now confirmed the player's arrival, for a reporter $8million up front (around £6.25m).
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Abada was also reported to have held talks with the Celtic board following the unfurling of a pro-Palestine banner towards the end of last year.
Just this week, Avi Luzon - the president of Abada's former club Maccabi Petah Tikva - blasted the Hoops fans for treating the player 'disgustingly' and insisted he'd been left with no choice other than to leave the club.
Rodgers was reluctant to lose Abada but admitted recently it was a situation outwith his control.
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He said: "I'm really empathetic towards the issue that he has.
“It's more than football, it's at a human level and we have to respect that.
“He's training, he's working but as I said it's all about the mind and if you're not quite right or ready then I can't take any risk with him and protect the squad as well.
“People can talk about what's going on there and then forget about it but that's the reality for him - that's his life.
"Every day and night, families in a war. So it's a really tough situation for him and on a human level I have empathy for him.
“It's my job and we'll do that as I have with a number of players before, take the human aspect, and look after him.”
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