Hemed completes Mallorca move

Real Mallorca have completed the signing of Maccabi Haifa striker Tomer Hemed on a free transfer. The 24-year-old has signed a three year deal, with an option of a fourth, worth around £6,000 per week which will increase year-on-year if objectives are met.

Hemed had been in talks with Scottish side Rangers but despite originally seeming keen on a move to the Scottish champions, he had a change of heart and instead chose Mallorca. His agent Max Meltzer explained, “Rangers are a fantastic club and Tomer knows that so it was a very difficult decision for him. However, in the end, he decided to pursue the opportunity presented to him from Spain.”

It has been revealed that Real Mallorca’s Israeli goalkeeper Dudu Aouate played an instrumental part in the signing. Towards the end of 2010, Aouate informed Director of Football Llorenç Serra Ferrer of a young striker who exploded onto the scene in the Israeli league whose contract expired in the summer and whose style is perfectly adaptable to Spanish football. From there, Serra Ferrer began collecting information and who was to be the Israeli league’s top goalscorer for the 2010/2011 season with 15 goals in 22 games.

The deal to bring Hemed to the Balearic Islands was agreed over the weekend and he completed he medical and put pen to paper earlier today. Known as ‘El Toro’, Hemed will not take up a place on the non-EU list due to having Polish relatives.