Celtic continued their solid start to the 2025/26 Scottish Premiership campaign with a comfortable 2-0 win over Aberdeen away from Parkhead on Sunday.
Brendan Rodgers, as was the case against St Mirren on the opening day, may not have been entirely pleased with all aspects of the performance, despite the result.
Benjamin Nygren opened the scoring with his first goal for Celtic in the first half with a brilliant finish from Kieran Tierney’s cross, before Reo Hatate’s spectacular strike in the second half sealed all three points for the away side.
The Hoops head coach confirmed after the match that he wants to see the board add more quality to the attack before the end of the summer transfer window.
Celtic have not splashed out on a frontline forward option, whether that be a winger or a striker, as Shin Yamada and Callum Osmand have arrived as back-ups behind Adam Idah.
That is despite the sale of Nicolas Kuhn to Como and an ACL injury to Jota, leaving two pretty sizeable holes out wide in the squad that need to be filled.
Why Celtic need to sign a left-sided winger
The Hoops need to bring in a winger on the left flank because Daizen Maeda is currently the only senior option in that position, whilst they do, at least, have Hyun-jun Yang and James Forrest on the right side.
Whilst you can debate the quality that Yang and Forest do or do not provide on the flank, Rodgers at least has the option to rotate them and bring on one as a substitute. He does not have that luxury on the left flank because of the injury to Jota.
The Portuguese winger suffered an ACL injury back in May and could be out until January or February of next year, as it was framed as an injury that could keep him out for up to nine months.
Losing Jota to such a devastating injury was a big blow for several reasons, not least because it has left Maeda as the only senior left winger, which has also prevented the Japan international from playing through the middle as a striker.
The former Benfica and Rennes forward, who returned to Celtic, also produced impressive performances in his short time on the pitch in the second half of last season, scoring four goals and providing two assists in seven starts.
Goals
0.63
Top 6%
Shots on target
1.42
Top 6%
xG
0.48
Top 8%
Assists
0.32
Top 17%
xA
0.37
Top 8%
Chances created
1.89
Top 25%
Successful dribbles
1.58
Top 29%
As you can see in the table above, Jota provided plenty of quality in front of goal as both a scorer and a creator, which is another reason why the Hoops must fill the hole his injury has left in the squad.
Celtic pursuing deal for £5m star
According to the Daily Record, Celtic remain keen on a deal to sign Royal Antwerp winger Michel-Ange Balikwisha before the end of the summer transfer window.
The report claims that the Belgian forward is ‘widely expected’ to leave the Pro League side this summer because his contract is due to expire at the end of the 2025/26 campaign.
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It adds that Balikwisha is expected to cost between £4m and £5m, so potentially as much as £5m, and it remains to be seen how much the Hoops are willing to pay to secure his signature.
Whilst this is not the most exciting update, or one that is going to provide supporters with plenty of hope, it does show that the club are still pursuing a deal for the 24-year-old star, who reportedly wants to make the move, and have not given up yet.
But it is now down to Celtic to finally reach an agreement with Royal Antwerp to bring Balikwisha to Parkhead, as he could fill the Jota-shaped hole in the squad.
Why Celtic should sign Michel-Ange Balikwisha
The Hoops must push to get this deal done as quickly as possible, particularly with Champions League qualifiers on the horizon, because of the lack of depth that they currently have in the wide areas.
As aforementioned, Maeda is the only senior left winger in the squad and that is why Jota’s injury has left a huge hole to fill, one that Balikwisha has the profile and quality to fill.
Like Maeda and Jota, the £5m-rated star is a right-footed attacker who predominantly plays down the left flank, cutting inside onto his favoured foot. This makes him an ideal fit for Tierney, who bombed on down the outside of Maeda to provide the assist for Nygren on Sunday.
Balikwisha, therefore, could be a perfect fit down the left wing for Celtic as a like-for-like replacement for the player they have lost to injury, whilst he is also a versatile forward who can play elsewhere when Jota is back fit next year.
Position (3-5-2 formation)
RCM
xG
0.85
Goals
1 (penalty)
Pass accuracy
96%
Key passes
1
Duels won
4/8
Tackles
2
Interceptions
2
As you can see in the table above, the Belgian forward put in an impressive performance against OH Leuven on Sunday, considering it is a role he is not used to play, with incredibly reliable passing and strong work off the ball.
Last season, Balikwisha played as a left winger and scored four goals and created seven ‘big chances’ in 12 starts in the Pro League for Royal Antwerp, which shows that he can be effective in front of goal when played in his natural position.
Football scout and analyst Will Glavin described the young forward as a “direct wide threat” and a “creative” and “confident” operator on the flank, which is backed up by his impressive output on the flank last term.
Of course, Balikwisha is unproven in Scottish football and it remains to be seen how he will fare outside of his home country, but all the signs appear to be promising.
Therefore, the Belgian ace could fill the Jota-shaped hole in the squad whilst having the positional flexibility to still be an asset in other positions when he returns, which is why this is a signing that could make a lot of sense.