Exclusive:Inside Hibs transfer signing's path to Easter Road as 'special talent' backed to become Leith success story
Defensive midfielder backed to be Easter Road success story after solid grounding in Glasgow
Azeem Abdulai has been backed by his former youth coach to prove a smash-hit with Hibs supporters and make a real name for himself in Scottish football.
The 23-year-old box-to-box midfielder arrived at Easter Road on a three-year deal from Leyton Orient last month, with head coach David Gray labelling the former Scotland Under-21 international as a player who fits the “exact profile” the club were looking to recruit this summer.
Abdulai spent his early years in the Jimmy Johnstone Academy - a Glasgow-based grassroots organisation and charitable trust dedicated to honouring the legacy of Celtic legend Jimmy "Jinky" Johnstone - before joining Celtic's youth set-up in 2012. He then moved south of the border to Leicester City before making his senior breakthrough with Swansea City.
He spent the last two seasons with Leyton Orient where he 65 appearances in EFL League One and catch the attention of Hibs. And the man who oversaw Abdulai’s early development for three years between the ages of six and nine is confident he will thrive in Leith.
“Azeem was a special talent,” said Jim Simonnette, president of the Jimmy Johnstone Academy. “At that time, you had young Karamoko Dembele coming through as well. But Azeem really stood out. He wasn’t afraid to get stuck in at such a young age, which was fantastic to see. He was athletic, aggressive, always demanding the ball and I always felt he had the potential to make it in the professional game.
“Attributes come in many forms in youth football. It’s not just about a young player having skill or talent, you’ve got to have a certain type of attitude and the right work ethic in order to be successful. That’s something we put a lot of emphasis on and Azeem certainly had that in abundance. He was with the academy for about four years before I helped him move up to Celtic. I’ve kept a close eye on his career ever since and stayed in touch with him and the family.
“I was at an event at Toryglen on the day Azeem first became involved with our academy. His father saw the way we were coaching and asked if his son could come along and join us. I said, ‘definitely, put him in,’ and he never looked back. Sometimes, as a coach, you just see a player and say to yourself ‘Wow, this kid is the real deal’ and that’s what I felt watching Azeem play. It was the same with Darnell Fisher, whose gone on to have a great career. Azeem reminded me a bit of him in terms of the way he came across.
“Once we had him fully integrated, it wasn’t long before other clubs started displaying an interest in him. I told his parents at the time that I didn’t feel he was quite ready to go professional and I explained to them how easy it was to join these academies. The hardest thing was to actually stay there and take the next leap to first-team football.
“They listened to my advice, but we then had a number of scouts continually pestering and asking about Azeem. We obviously have a good rapport with Celtic and got him into their youth system. Whether or not he would’ve made it at Celtic, who knows? But I’m delighted to see he’s back in Scottish football with Hibs. I think he’ll do well under David Gray and I’m looking forward to seeing how he gets on there.”
Abdulai crossed paths with Brendan Rodgers
Abdulai was 16 when he was released by Celtic but would cross paths with former Hoops boss Brendan Rodgers a short while later at Leicester. Simonnette reckons Celtic missed a trick by not agreeing to extend his stay at Parkhead, but is convinced he has all the key components to develop into a top player.
“He’s an ambitious kid whose always willing to listen and is hungry to learn,” Simonnette told the Edinburgh Evening News. “That was apparent when he was with us. I felt Celtic made a mistake by releasing him at that particular time, but he went down to England and signed for Leicester City when Brendan Rodgers was in charge. It's quite ironic that the manager, when he was up in Glasgow, took a youth player from Celtic to Leicester and let him develop down there for a period.
“He’s a fantastic young lad. I remember we put him up against a couple of older age groups, he just worked and worked away with them tirelessly. Every time he’s had a wee knock down, he seems to have picked himself back up and just wants to keep progressing his career. One thing I’ve noticed is that his game intelligence and positional sense has improved a lot. I’m confident Hibs fans will take to him.”