Maccabi Haifa Defender Lysav Issat Set to Join Bristol City in Championship

Maccabi Haifa has agreed to transfer their 21-year-old central defender Lysav Issat to Bristol City, a club competing in the English Championship. Issat, who emerged as a key defensive player for Haifa last season, made 33 appearances across league, cup, and Conference League qualifiers, scoring one goal and providing two assists.

In recent months, several Romanian league clubs showed interest in Issat, but he preferred to move to a more competitive league following his breakthrough season. Bristol City finished 12th in the Championship last season and were eliminated in the fourth round of the FA Cup and the second round of the League Cup. Their manager, Michael Skubala, has not signed any defenders so far in the 2026 summer transfer window.

Issat, who officially registered with the Romanian Football Federation in 2025, chose to represent Romania internationally less than a year ago. He has been called up to both the senior and youth Romanian national teams, including a recent call-up in March. The transfer marks Maccabi Haifa's first significant sale of the summer transfer period.