Liel Abada Celtic exit ‘desperately sad’ as Brendan Rodgers bemoans loss of key star

After the Celtic star finalized a £10 million transfer to Charlotte FC, Brendan Rodgers called Liel Abada’s exit “desperately sad”.

Distracted by off-field concerns over the ongoing Middle East war between his native state of Israel and Palestine, Abada decided to end his two and a half years at Parkhead. The Green Brigade’s and the Hoops’ broader support for the Palestinian people had put the teenage winger under intense pressure to leave the Scottish champions back home. An international teammate had even urged him to walk on.

Only having signed a new four-year deal in September, Abada had missed the majority of the campaign due to a thigh injury he received while serving in the international arena.

Before being declared ineligible for selection, he played his final game for Celtic in their 2-1 victory against Hibs last month. Rodgers said the 22-year-old wasn’t in the proper frame of mind at the time.

Although the Parkhead manager admits that Abada’s departure was in the best interests of both sides, Rodgers lamented the chance to collaborate with a player who finished with 29 goals in 112 games.
He remarked, “To start with, the entire situation is quite depressing. A great player who arrived here as a 19-year-old from another nation, lighting up the field with numerous goals and having an amazing time. Despite his reservations from the summer, he was thrilled to commit and sign a new contract.

“Now, without his own fault or the team’s, he was forced to depart in order to pursue a career elsewhere. On Monday, I had a conversation with Liel and showed him around the house as I knew he would be leaving early the next morning. Extremely disappointing because I had hoped to collaborate with him over time to see whether we might elevate and advance his skills. Looking back, he made some amazing memories at Celtic, and Glasgow will always hold a special place in his heart. We hope the best for him.”

The Green Brigade’s unfurled banners stating “Free Palestine” and “Victory to the resistance” sparked outrage in Israel the day after Hamas attacked the country on October 7.
According to Rodgers, “it was really, really difficult for him.” “He is a great professional who is dedicated to his business and trains daily. However, the circumstances and the way they developed felt really tough. Furthermore, football is primarily a mental game. Of course, it becomes really difficult to perform at your absolute best if you’re not fully focused or if you find it tough to set aside something as important as this. Sadly, for him, it was the situation.

“We talked most days, simply to see how he was doing and to see if he was well, but his main goal is to play football. When things reached a point where I thought there was no possibility, we both took a look at
believed that it would be best for him to move on, both personally and as a club.

In response to a question about whether the player was feeling a lot of pressure from Israel, Rodgers stated: “There were a number of reasons not to be in that state of mind, and it’s obvious that this was an unexpected circumstance. But, hear me out: it’s finished. We must move on since he moved on, had a fantastic two and a half years, and performed admirably.”

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