Pat Bonner says Michel-Ange Balikwisha’s signing has ‘annoyed’ Celtic fans, as his absence continues

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Many recent signings have summed up the mess Celtic have made of previous transfer windows, as Michel-Ange Balikwisha sits near the top of that list.

Celtic signed Balikwisha for £5 million from Royal Antwerp in the summer when Brendan Rodgers was in charge, but as Pat Bonner put it, he has been ‘nowhere’ to be seen.

Bonner was trying to explain the ill-feeling between the Celtic fans and the board, and one reason why they are ‘annoyed’ is because the quality of the squad has gone downhill, and Balikwisha is proof of it.

“They have seen quite a bit of ability go out of the door, and it hasn’t been replaced,” explained Bonner. “Balikwisha is a perfect example – they eventually bring him in, and he is nowhere now.”

From Rodgers to Martin O’Neill, that’s several Celtic managers who have used the DR Congo star in a bit-part manner, or not at all.

• READ MORE: Forget Michel-Ange Balikwisha, another player’s Celtic career could be over after Martin O’Neill’s call

Michel-Ange Balikwisha: flop or unfairly treated?

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Pat Bonner is critical of Michel-Ange Balikwisha’s situation at Celtic

Balikwisha doesn’t even make matchday squads now, that’s how bad it has become, as it’s ‘money down the drain’, according to Bonner.

The versatile winger was even subbed off after struggling for an hour during Celtic’s Scottish Cup clash against Auchinleck Talbot in January.

Either way, Bonner told BBC Radio Scotland that he can’t see the Hoops making their money back from Balikwisha, as O’Neill continues to leave him out in the cold.

“I think the fans are annoyed this year because of the lack of ability,” said Bonner. “They have seen quite a bit of ability go out of the door, and it hasn’t been replaced.

“It’s been replaced with a lot of loan signings. Balikwisha is a perfect example of they bring somebody in. I think they were thinking about him even before the summer transfer window.

“They eventually bring him in, and he is nowhere now. Is that quality? Is that down to himself? Is he unlucky? I don’t think he’s unlucky because he has been given a decent chance to stake his claim.

“But he is out of things completely now, and that’s down to a couple of managers making that decision. They weren’t the managers who brought him in. He’s not even on the bench.

“When you see young players who are 16, 17 and 18, who are in the squad, and he isn’t even in there. Is that money down the drain, really? Are they going to get anything for him? If they were going to move him on. Probably not at this stage.

“So, that is money down the drain. That annoys fans when that example is there.”

Celtic players who have spent more time at home than in the matchday squad

You can list the players Celtic have signed, in recent times, who have spent more time at home than in the matchday squad.

If you go back to when Rodgers returned in 2023, it has been pretty poor, and yes, the Irishman has to take his share of responsibility, but so do those in the boardroom.

That’s a lot of money out the door that they won’t be getting back. From players, either still here or now gone.

• Maik Nawrocki (12 starts after signing in 2023)
• Shin Yamada (one start after signing in 2025)
• Hayato Inamura (one start after signing in 2025)
• Michel-Ange Balikwisha (three starts after signing in 2025)
• Gustaf Lagerbielke (six starts after signing in 2023, now at Braga)
• Odin Thiago Holm (four starts after signing in 2023)