Six new faces arrived at Parkhead over the winter, but there is something of a bloated feel about Celtic’s current squad, with Martin O’Neill desperately trying to make up for the club’s disastrous summer recruitment.
The jumble of contracts ensures the 73-year-old has two or three options at almost every position, if not more, but whether it’s a case of quantity over quality remains to be seen.
Wednesday night’s match against Livingston, for example, saw a number of notable names absent from the match day squad including Kelechi Iheanacho, Paulo Bernardo, Joel Mvuka and Michel Ange Balikwisha, not to mention long-term absentees such as Cameron Carter-Vickers, Alistair Johnston, Callum Osmando and Jota.
Manager O’Neill, and rightfully so, has had to be ruthless with his selections, but the 24-year-old’s journey to Parkhead is already heading towards disaster territory, and few will be surprised by Balikwisha’s further omission.
What is actually the best position in Balikwisha?
You can’t escape from it. Celtic’s £5m investment in Balikwisha has backfired spectacularly, with the Democratic Republic of Congo international now merely a bystander in the proceedings in Glasgow.
Granted, there may have been no takers for a player who has yet to score since moving to Scotland, but there was an element of surprise that the Hoops did not try to move him over the winter.
The former Royal Antwerp man, who has long been chased through the Parkhead ranks, no doubt influenced by his miserable days on AFCON duty over the Christmas period, has never put on a Celtic shirt.
Part of the problem appears to be a lack of discernment as to what a forward’s best position actually is, with manager Brendan Rodgers remaining firm in his belief that Balikwisha is a “left-sided player”, as he said in September.
“I would have liked to see him on the right, but there’s no doubt that his best position is on the left,” said Rodgers of Balikwisha.
Fast forward to January, and O’Neill offered a very different opinion, suggesting the summer signing was “more of a number 10” and “definitely not a wide player”.
That confusion certainly doesn’t help matters, and it might be wise to look back at why he flourished in Belgium. His best work was undoubtedly as a left winger, scoring 32 goals and assists in 79 games for Antwerp, recording for that side.
Balikwisa – Antwerp statistics by position | ||
|---|---|---|
position | game | Goal (assist) |
LW | 79 | 19(13) |
morning | 17 | 4(2) |
C.F. | 6 | 0 (0) |
RW | 5 | 2(2) |
LM | 3 | 1 (0) |
SS | 1 | 0 (0) |
CM | 1 | 0 (0) |
Versatility is a blessing, but it’s a curse when it comes to Balikwisha, with the former Standard Liège only having two assists left to shout about in the green and white.
At least you can say he was an influence in some way.
Failed Celtic should never play for the club again after January
It’s a damning indictment that of the players signed last summer, only the returning Kieran Tierney and £1.7m man Benjamin Nygren are truly successful, while Sebastian Tunekuti is only just beginning to blossom again after a brief lull.
Forget Tunekuti: Celtic star is becoming the new Jota
Celtic have another exciting loan sensation who definitely deserves to stay permanently.
Indeed, Balikwisha has been shackled on the periphery, while Osmando and Iheanacho have been plagued by injuries for much of the season.
There was also the strange case of Hayato Inamura, who was released on loan last month after being overlooked numerous times in the first half of the season, with the 23-year-old defender joining compatriot Makoto Yamada at the exit gate.
Signed from Reo Hatate’s former club Kawasaki Frontale in a £1.5m deal, Yamada’s time in Glasgow was as memorable as Balikwisha’s given his minimal involvement.
It’s not as high-profile a move as the £5 million man, but Yamada’s signing is perhaps even worse considering he has since joined German second-tier side Prussia Munster for the second half of the season and hasn’t registered a single goal or assist.
Despite appearing in 11 games for the green and whites, the struggling striker rarely improved, scoring just two goals in the J-League last season before moving to Glasgow.
Perhaps Celtic officials were hoping for another coup in the mold of Togo Furuhashi, but while the current Birmingham City player had scored 42 goals in 95 J-League appearances for Vissel Kobe, Yamada had only scored 25 goals in 86 J-League games before joining the Hoops.
Especially for players who weren’t that great last season, understandably unable to perform in either white or green, a case very similar to Balikwisha, who endured an injury-interrupted 2024-25 season.
The latter man has at least the next few months to make some sort of impression in a Celtic shirt, but Yamada’s quick loan move should surely mean his time at Parkhead is already numbered.
The Parkhead flop, who played 0 minutes against Livi, must not start again for Celtic.
Celtic’s narrow win over Livingston could have an impact even on those not involved at Parkhead.
