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Liel Abada’s future at Celtic feels like a constant topic of discussion with each passing transfer window.

The Israel international, signed in 2021 by former manager Ange Postecoglou, has been linked with moves away from the club throughout his Hoops career, with Southampton and Ajax just two of the names being linked with the Israeli winger.

Despite only being at the club for two full seasons, Abada has already made more than 100 appearances for Celtic, scoring 28 times in the process and assisting a further 20. The talent is undoubtedly there. However, his inconsistent form, mixed with his erratic decision-making, mean he is a frustrating player to watch at times.

Reports recently have linked the club with two wingers who tend to operate on the right-hand side - the position where Abada generally operates – in Melbourne City’s Marco Tilio and Gangwon FC’s Yang Hyun-Jun, respectively. What does this mean for Abada, especially when it is believed that he has turned down Celtic’s latest contract offer?

With all that in mind, along with the help of StatsBomb analytics, here is why Abada should be allowed to move on this summer to new pastures if the right offer comes along.

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On the face of it, Abada’s numbers are solid for a winger in terms of goals and assists. In his debut season, he made 54 appearances, in which he scored and assisted 15 and 11 times, respectively. These are outstanding numbers for a 19-year-old in his debut season outside of his homeland.

 

Abada played 25.7 90 minutes over the course of the 2021-22 season, making him a virtual ever-present for Postecoglou. For Celtic domestically, he was a constant menace for opponents with regard to a goal threat, with his xG ranking in the 99th percentile at 0.51 per 90 minutes. Also ranked in 99th were his touches in the box, averaging 8.08 per game, whilst accomplishing 3.15 shots in the same timeframe, this total in the 95th percentile.

He was very much a ‘moments’ player for Celtic in his first season, often popping up with a crucial goal or assist in order to turn the tide of a game.

His late strike against Dundee United in January 2022 was a massive goal in the context of the domestic season, scoring in stoppage time to secure a vital three points. He followed this up by scoring the third goal in the emphatic 3-0 win against Rangers in the next match, effectively turning the tide in the title race for Celtic in the process.

At this point, Abada was being touted as the next player for Celtic to sell for millions to wealthy bidders down south or across the continental leagues. Despite making a solid impression in his first season, however, attacking reinforcements were on the way for Postecoglou and Celtic.

In January 2022, Daizen Maeda joined the club from Postecoglou’s former side Yokohama F Marinos, originally on loan but with a compulsory buy obligation at the end of the season. Indeed, it is true that Maeda typically operates on the left wing, the opposite of Abada on the right, but the Japan international’s arrival prompted a positional change for Jota.

Because of Maeda, Jota accommodated his arrival by playing on the right-hand side, which allowed the former to play on the left. All of a sudden, Abada’s solidified place in the team was under threat, all because of this positional change from Jota.

Still, with Postecoglou’s demanding tactics and change of playing personnel, Abada would go on to make 47 appearances last season, scoring 13 goals and assisting a further nine times, despite only completing only 17.9 90 minutes.

 

Unfortunately for the winger, Abada had a stop-start second season despite posting almost identical numbers to his first due to the improved squad depth on the wings. As a result of this, many of his analytical metric figures dropped too.

For example, he only managed 2.90 shots per game, a decrease on his total from the season before, along with his xG which also dropped to 0.48 last season. Perhaps two of the most glaring statistical downgrades for Abada last season come in the form of successful dribbles and turnovers. For the former, the winger dropped from 1.05 to 0.78 whilst the latter negatively increased from 3.38 to 3.90.

Conversely, though, Abada did average more touches in the box last season with 8.47 per game, though this was a rare increase in what was a disappointing season in terms of statistical data for him.

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For a young and settled winger after a successful debut season, you would expect these numbers to be far more impressive. Again, this may be down to an increase in competition for places, but surely this would spur the player to do better when chances for him did arise?

With Brendan Rodgers officially the new Celtic manager, this means a potential clean slate for Abada if he chooses to remain at the club. However, his consistency leaves a lot to be desired going forward, and Celtic may look to cash in if the right offer comes along.

Rodgers, in his first spell, chose players who put on good performances regularly, such as Scott Sinclair, Patrick Roberts and James Forrest. As of yet, Abada has yet to show that same consistency to suggest he can do the same under the returning manager.

Abada’s future is as bright as it is up in the air. Whether or not it will be at Celtic is still yet to be decided, though a parting of the ways may suit all parties best.

This piece is an extract from the latest Celtic Digest newsletter, which is emailed out every weekday evening with a round-up of the day's top stories and exclusive analysis from The Celtic Way team.

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