As is customary at Celtic Park, the summer transfer window is expected to be active.
Kieran Tierney’s return to Celtic has already been confirmed, causing considerable excitement, but many more additions are expected.
The Celtics are now on the lookout for a “fearless” new winger in the mold of Liel Abada.
How is Liel Abada faring after leaving Celtic?
Countless Celtic players have had lengthier careers, with many making numerous appearances in green and white hoops, but Abada will be remembered fondly by fans.
Abada, who was only 20 years old at the time, joined from Maccabi Petah Tikva for an estimated £3.6 million in the summer of 2021.
He scored the first goal of the Ange Postecoglou era in a Champions League qualifier against Midtjylland, and he scored 29 goals and provided 22 assists in 112 appearances for the club, earning PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year during his rookie season.
A couple of Abada’s goals are why he is so fondly remembered by fans, particularly a stoppage-time winner against Dundee United, and goals during Old Firm demolition victory, scoring the third in a 3-0 win in February 2022, then bagging a brace during a 4-0 beating of Rangers later that year.
However, after being sidelined with a long-term injury and due to rising tensions following the escalation of the Israel-Palestine conflict, Abada was sold to MLS club Charlotte FC for a reported sum of £10 million in March last year, resulting in a tidy profit. Since then, he’s been quite impressive in America, scoring 13 goals in 46 games and adding three assists.
Celtic could be on the verge of signing their next goal-scoring winger.
Celtic are likely to recruit a new wide attacker.
As widely reported, Celtic are ready to recruit Benjamin Nygren from Nordsjaelland for a reputed £2 million cost. Nygren was also linked with Anderlecht, but he reportedly preferred to move to Scotland rather than elsewhere in Europe. As a result, he is ‘expected to finalize his move to the Premiership’.
Earlier this month, Nygren told Swedish website Fotboll Skanalen, “It’s evident that there is a lot of interest. I’ve done incredibly well this season… I’ll depart”.
The 23-year-old winger made his senior debut for hometown club IFK Göteborg, followed by spells with Genk and Heerenveen. He joined current side Nordsjaelland in January 2022 and has scored 35 goals in 107 appearances.
His club form earned him a senior international debut earlier this year, with appearances in all four of Sweden’s 2025 fixtures, including goals against Northern Ireland in Stockholm and Hungary in the Puskás Aréna just last week. So, let’s look at why he is so similar to Abada.
| Nygren Danish Superligaen stats 2024/25 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Statistics | Nygren | Superligaen rank |
| Goals | 15 | 3rd |
| Assists | 2 | 69th |
| Shots | 82 | 3rd |
| Shots on target | 40 | 1st |
| Shots on target % | 48.8 | 10th |
| Big chances missed | 14 | 3rd |
| Average SofaScore rating | 7.42 | 4th |
| Statistics courtesy of FBref.com and SofaScore | ||
As shown in the table, Nygren, like the Israeli, is a goal-scoring wide-attacker, which is why he had more shots on target than anybody else in this season’s Superligaen, as well as being in the top three for goals, shots, and huge opportunities missed.
International teammate Alexander Isak characterized Nygren as “fearless” and “confident,” adding that he appreciated playing with a winger who can “provide good crosses.”
According to Sakhu Mpofu of Total Football Analysis, he excels as a right-winger who can ‘invert into the center’. He is also referred to as “versatile” and “one of the most underrated” players in Denmark’s top league.
Thus, it is evident that Celtic intend to sign a high-quality wide-attacker with comparable natural goal-scoring inclinations to one of the former right-wingers, Abada.
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