Celtic transfer scouting: The talented Israeli live wire with 'Jack Grealish dribbling'

Nir Bitton proved a reliable stalwart for nine seasons until his departure this summer while Beram Kayal was a standout in the early parts of his Celtic career and Hatem Abd Elhamed was a decent, if oft-unavailable, defensive option.

Further back Eyal Berkovic turned out for a season-and-a-half at the turn of the millennium while the most recent acquisition, Liel Abada, has produced a stellar debut season at Parkhead with big things expected in the new term.

The Ligat ha'Al is a market for low-cost, good potential players and there is no doubt Celtic will be monitoring a familiar market for more potential signings. 

Here, we take a look at three players who could be of realistic interest to Ange Postecoglou and Celtic...

Gil Cohen (Ashdod)

Nationality: Israeli; Age: 21; Position: Centre-back; Preferred foot: Left; Height: 5ft 11in

Nir Bitton will leave Celtic this summer as a free agent but as one of Celtic’s longest-serving players recently after his move to Scotland from FC Ashdod in 2013. The Hoops could look at another player from his former side to fix their left centre-back hole by signing Gil Cohen.

Cohen captains the Israel under-21 national team and has made 15 appearances at that level. Positionally, he is a left-footed, left-sided centre-back who has deputised at left-back several times for his club. He likes to step out of the defensive third and influence the game from the back in the build-up. Cohen has played in a back four as well as a back three setup for club and country.

As the data above shows, Cohen is heavily progressive with his passing and always looking to move the ball vertically up the pitch. He is also very much capable of carrying the ball into the opposition half with ease. The young centre-back is quick and uses his pace to accelerate and disrupt the opposition by triggering a quick reaction from the surrounding players.

There are situations in games where the 21-year-old drives forward, dribbling at speed, before ending up in the final third and releasing a dangerous through ball. The above images are examples of this.

In addition, Cohen is also good at stepping into the midfield third or the edge of the defensive third before breaking the lines with his passing. With regards to passing, he has got a great range with the ability to go long and switch play when needed.

On the ball, he is great at taking on players even in his own defensive third, suggesting significant press resistance. He is able to work his way around players because of his excellent footwork and technical ability. Despite being a risk-taker, he is very composed on the ball.

Going to the defensive side of his game, the Israeli centre-back can be out of position at times but his turn of pace helps him recover quickly while he is not shy of going down to attempt last-ditch tackles.

However, that doesn't happen often with his ability to anticipate well and handle opposition attacks shining through. Although he is good at ground duels, showing aggression and often regaining possession for his team, his aerial success rate is weak.

These characteristics have to be taken with context because he manages to generate a good leap and this often disrupts the opposition dueller’s balance in the air to in turn disturb the possession flow of the opposition.

At his core, Cohen profiles as a centre-back who would fit perfectly with Postecoglou’s style.

Eden Karzev (Maccabi Netanya)

Nationality: Israeli Age: 22; Position: Defensive midfield/Central midfield; Preferred foot: Right; Height: 6ft 1in

Celtic are reportedly looking at potential defensive midfielders and Eden Karzev of Maccabi Netanya could be a good option. 

The 22-year-old has three caps for the Israel national team and made his first start in June against Iceland.

Karzev mostly guards the central areas of the pitch, receiving and moving the ball in the same area. He has the occasional tendency to move forward and be an extra man in the attack.

Karzev possesses a good range of passing, with the ability to go long as and when required. He does not hesitate to switch play to wide areas with long diagonals so as to force the opposition wide.

Not only does he have a variety of passes in his locker but he looks to move the ball forward into the next phase of play and progresses the ball well. In addition to his progressive passing, he also tends to carry the ball forward, trying to make things happen in that way too.

The central defensive midfielder notably scans the pitch which helps him make decisions quicker when he receives the ball. He is capable of disguising a marker or his nearest opposition player by using his body well to turn and change direction with the ball at his feet, taking them out and moving the ball forward at the same time. The occasional shots he takes are also strong, with a lot of power in them.

Defensively, Karzev is intelligent and strong. His ground duel success rate is quite impressive and this can again be attributed to his penchant for scanning his surroundings regularly even when his team is out of possession.

As a result, he doesn't get caught ball-watching often and actively tries to sense the next danger to mitigate it accordingly. This helps him intercept the ball regularly and the data suggests he is arguably the best in his division at it.

While being positionally aware, Karzev is also quick at recovering. That said, he does end up making a lot of fouls and that is down to him being imposing and aggressive while trying to win the ball back.

He isn’t shy of going to ground to try to disrupt opposition possession and, while he is only 22, he could prove a smart signing to play as a pivot in Postecoglou's team.

Mohamad Kna’an (FC Ashdod)

Nationality: Israeli; Age: 22; Position: Forward/attacking midfielder/winger; Preferred foot: Right

Another player from FC Ashdod now and this time a forward.

Versatile Mohamad Kna’an, 22, has the ability to play up top, in behind the striker or out wide but it is in attacking midfield where he thrives the most.

Kna’an has really good numbers when you compare that to forwards from the Ligat ha’Al and the SPFL Premiership. The Israeli attacker loves drifting in the central areas of the pitch to influence games. When he is on the ball, he is always looking to break into the attacking third or trying to find a penetrative pass. He is not someone with explosive pace but has great ball control and this can be very useful in tight spaces.

As you can see from the images above, Kna’an has the intelligence to adjust his body well and purposely slow down the tempo, trying to bait the opposition players into committing before using his dribbling ability to get away, thus taking out a man. Although the overall comparison is way off the mark, this specific ability of his is a bit reminiscent of Jack Grealish.

Kna’an is also a high-volume dribbler but he can really be a positive in tight spaces, with the ability to wiggle his way out of traffic using his balance and technique. A decent amount of his final passes and shots have come from situations where he beats multiple players out wide or in the half-spaces before getting into a good area.

Kna’an loves coming into the central areas and shooting, especially from the 'Zone 14' area (the middle of the pitch immediately outside the penalty box). He has the capability to score from outside the box, curling in a low shot past the keeper.

For someone who doesn’t necessarily play primarily as a centre forward, Kna’an’s output is remarkable, scoring 0.39 non-penalty goals per 90 minutes. His ability to dribble well also forces the opposition to foul him often and in key areas of the pitch.

The 22-year-old is good at linking up and makes up his mind quickly when it comes to passes. However, he has a tendency of trying to be 'quirky' sometimes and that occasionally leads him to give away the ball cheaply. Even off the ball, he tries to find little pockets of space to receive the ball and tries to break away from potential markers.

All in all, Kna’an would be a good addition to the Celtic squad, adding a lot of creative threat, even just as a squad option. There is a good chance he will switch to a bigger and more prominent league soon.