Celtic’s transfer work in the early stages of the summer has primarily focused on goalkeepers but it’s time for the club to move on to other positions.
The arrivals of Kasper Schmeichel and Viljami Sinisalo mean that no further work is needed in that department other than to shift out those not in Brendan Rodgers’ plans, such as Benjamin Siegrist.
If Celtic are going to kick on to new heights from last season’s double success then there needs to be an injection of quality right across the team.
That includes on the attacking flanks where another winger could help increase productivity in the final third, combining with Kyogo Furuhashi, Daizen Maeda and others.
Michel-Ange Balikwisha has been a reported candidate for this role in recent days, with Celtic said to have made contact with Royal Antwerp about his signature.
Brendan Rodgers takes a personal role in Balikwisha pursuit
Journalist Sacha Tavolieri, who was at the heart of reporting on Hyeongyu Oh’s move to Genk and who appears to have strong contacts in Belgium, reports that the Celtic boss has now spoken personally with the player, advancing the interest from the club.
However, Balikwisha is a wanted man and Tavolieri states that French side Rennes are also in contact with the player’s representatives.
They recently sold the impressive Martin Terrier to Bayer Leverkusen and are on the hunt for another attacker.
Balikwisha in demand after strong 2023/24 season
The 23-year-old’s preferred position is on the left wing, though he can play on either side and centrally. Last season he netted ten goals and assisted eight times for Antwerp, so he does have a cutting edge.
The attacker is profiled as an industrious performer by stat-trackers Fotmob, with numbers suggesting he excels when it comes to pressing and defensive actions. That would fit in well with the Celtic style.
No attacking midfielder won more tackles than him per 90 minutes in Belgium last term (1.95), with interceptions per 90 minutes (1.1) and duels winning percentage (53.5%) also high in comparison to similar players from the rest of the division.
Most of the league goals he scored were within 8 yards with a high xG score, suggesting he is arriving in the box in good positions to finish off well-worked chances – another positive sign for a potential winger at the Bhoys.
He has experience of Champions League football, too, appearing five times in the group stage last term and scoring against Shakhtar Donetsk. His profile is strong and this is the kind of target we like to see Celtic linked with.
It appears competition is fierce for his signature. If Celtic’s interest has progressed to the stage of Rodgers talking to him then the manager will be serious about a pursuit. Can the the club deliver? It’s a situation we’ll be watching closely in the coming days and weeks.
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