Azeem Abdulai: Hibernian complete signing of Leyton Orient midfielder in permanent deal

Hibernian have completed the signing of central midfielder Azeem Abdulai from Leyton Orient in a permanent transfer dated 2026-07-04, bringing the 23-year-old back to Scottish football from Englands League One. The fee is officially undisclosed and listed as ? in transfer documents, with the player currently valued at around 400k.

Abdulai moves into a Scottish Premiership environment after his spell in England, most recently with Leyton Orient, who he joined from Swansea City in early 2025. His switch to Edinburgh is a confirmed transfer rather than a loan or option-based arrangement, with the deal taking him from the English third tier to the top flight in Scotland. Contract details, including its duration and potential end date, have not been made public.

Born in Glasgow and holding both Scotland and Sierra Leone nationality, Abdulai is registered primarily as a central midfielder and is right-footed. He will wear the number 22 shirt at Hibernian. The move also reinforces his status as a player operating abroad relative to his dual-national background, with the Premiership representing a return to his country of birth after several years in the English and Welsh systems.

The transfer continues a career path that has taken Abdulai through respected youth and development programmes across Britain. After time at Celtic FC U18, he left Scotland for Leicester City U18 in 2019, before switching to Swansea City U21 in 2021. A promotion to Swansea Citys first team followed in 2023, and he then moved into the EFL with Leyton Orient in 2025.

Market value data underlines a steady rise in his standing. Assessed at 200,000 euros while at Swansea City in 2023 and early 2024, his value increased to 300,000 euros by late 2024. Since joining Leyton Orient, that figure climbed again, first to 350,000 euros, then 375,000 euros, and most recently to 400,000 euros in mid-2026, shortly before his transfer to Hibernian was finalised.

Abdulais recent club career has been split between the Championship setup at Swansea and the rigours of League One with Leyton Orient, providing exposure to contrasting styles and physical demands. His experience across England and Wales, following his formative years in Scotland, now feeds into a Hibs side competing in the Premiership, with the player listed under Hibernian FC in the most recent national-team registration data.

While specific match-by-match statistics, recent results and appearance numbers are not detailed in the available information, Abdulais progression through multiple clubs in quick succession illustrates how consistently he has been judged capable of stepping up. Each move has taken him into a higher-profile or more demanding environment, culminating in a confirmed berth at a major Scottish club.

Abdulais contract start date is recorded as 2026-07-04, with no published expiry date, leaving open the possibility that his situation could evolve into free agency at a later stage depending on how long the agreement ultimately runs. For now, the focus will be on how his 1.83m frame and central midfield profile translate to the Premiership, and whether his rising market value can be matched by his impact in Edinburgh. If he adapts quickly, this confirmed transfer could mark a pivotal phase in shaping his standing both in Scottish football and, potentially, at international level for either of his eligible nations.