Itay Ben Shabat Agrees to Join Hapoel Petah Tikva

Hapoel Petah Tikva has reached an agreement with defender Itay Ben Shabat, who currently plays for Maccabi Netanya. Ben Shabat, who joined Maccabi Netanya in the summer of 2023, has been deemed surplus to requirements by coach Roni Levy for the upcoming season and has barely featured since the season began, despite captaining the team in some matches last year. The move to Hapoel Petah Tikva, known as the 'Mala'basim', comes after three seasons with Maccabi Netanya. Ben Shabat had also received an offer from Ironi Tiberias but declined it. His contract with Maccabi Netanya runs until the end of the current season. He is expected to replace veteran defender Oral Dgani, who has reportedly received an offer to join MS Ashdod in the National League to aid their promotion bid back to the Premier League.