Manchester City After playing for the Norwegian club
Skeid, Elabdellaoui joined the English club
Manchester City when he was 16 years old.
Scott Sellars, coach of the City's U18 team, stated in an interview with
Norwegian TV 2 in January 2010 that Elabdellaoui had "a big future". Elabdellaoui made an impressive effort at the academy and was awarded a first-team number for the 2010–11 season, but sat on the bench during City's
Europa League match against
Juventus on 16 December 2010.
Strømsgodset On 31 March 2011, the last day of the Norwegian transfer window, Elabdellaoui was loaned out to
Strømsgodset in Norway until City's pre-season started in July. In Strømsgodset he was reunited with his teammates from City,
Mohammed Abu and
Razak Nuhu. He played eight league matches before fracturing his foot in the league match against
Fredrikstad on 28 May 2011, and returned to Manchester for surgery. On 1 September, he returned to Strømsgodset where he played until the end of the 2011-season, in a total of 12 matches, scoring one goal and giving one assist. Strømsgodset wanted Elabdellaoui for another loan-spell for the 2012 season, but Elabdellaoui was reluctant to play at Godset's home ground
Marienlyst Stadion because he was concerned that its artificial turf would re-injure him.
Feyenoord In June 2012, Elabdellaoui signed a two-year contract with City, and was loaned to the Dutch club
Feyenoord for the 2012–13 season. His teammate at City,
John Guidetti, who was loaned to the same club in the 2011–12 season, both recommended Elabdellaoui to Feyenoord and advised Eladbellaoui to accept Feyenoord's offer if Manchester City let him go. Guidetti said that Elabdellaoui was a perfect fit for Feyenoord because he was physically strong, technically well-equipped and a fast player. According to Feyenoord's technical director
Martin van Geel, Elabdellaoui was to mostly play as a left or right winger, but would also play as an attacking midfielder behind the forwards. He also said that Feyenoord wanted Eladbellaoui on their team for a couple of years, but were unable to sign him previously. He wanted to play regularly and realized that his chances at Feyenoord would be limited, where he were competing against the right back and the right wing at the
Netherlands national team.
Eintracht Braunschweig in May 2013 In January 2013, Elabdellaoui was loaned to German club
Eintracht Braunschweig for the second half of the
2012–13 2. Bundesliga season. He became a regular from the start and won promotion to the
Bundesliga with his team. On 10 May, the club announced that the loan deal had been made permanent. Following their promotion, he made his debut in the top flight against
Werder Bremen on 10 August 2013. He started the first three matches of the season as a right back, but sat on the bench in the next match against
Hamburg.
Olympiacos On 17 June 2014 he was offered a contract by Greek club
Olympiacos. He signed for the club the next day, stating that he was very excited to be a part of the club.
Loan to Hull City On 20 January 2017, Elabdellaoui signed a loan deal with
Hull City, linking him with his international teammates
Markus Henriksen and
Adama Diomande. Hull were given the option to make the deal permanent at the end of the season. He made his debut two days later in the 2–0 away loss to
Chelsea.
Return to Olympiacos Elabdellaoui's form during the
2018–19 season attracted interest from other clubs, though Olympiacos said they would have had to offer a minimum of 5 million euros. Elabdellaoui was made club captain for the
2019–20 season and made 47 appearances in all competitions playing an important role in his side winning the Greek Super League.
Galatasaray Following his departure from Olympiacos, Elabdellaoui signed a three-year deal with Turkish club
Galatasaray worth a reported €4,050,000 in total salary. He was transferred to hospital for treatment, with specific concern over injuries to his eyes. Elabdellaoui returned to training in July 2021, wearing protective glasses. In February 2022, after more than ten eye surgeries, he prepared to play again. His eyes were reconstructed in the United States with the help of his sister and an anonymous donor. His contract was unilaterally terminated by Galatasaray on 2 September 2022.
Return to Norway In December 2022 he signed a contract with
Bodø/Glimt for the 2023 and 2024 seasons. In his first year at Bodø/Glimt, he was part of the side that helped the club win their third league title in just four seasons.{{cite web|url=https://www.nettavisen.no/sport/bodo-glimt-sikret-seriegullet-i-eliteserien/s/5-95-1450958|title=Bodø/Glimt sikret seriegullet i Eliteserien ==International career==