Are Celtic set to make more signings soon?
So far, the Hoops have unveiled six new recruits, the most exciting of which is the returning hero Kieran Tierney, while Benjamin Nygren, Callum Osmund, Ross Doohan and Japanese duo Hayato Inamura and Shin Yamada have also arrived.
Nevertheless, speaking ahead of Thursday night’s pre-season friendly against Ajax in Como, manager Brendan Rodgers stated that he requires new players “for the present”, adding that “I want players in tomorrow, but I understand the market”, so could he be set to finally secure the signature of his number one target?
Celtic's search for attacking reinforcements
Following last mid-week’s friendly victory over Sporting CP in the Algarve, Rodgers said that he wants “to add [more] to our front line” because “we’ve lost a lot of goals”, following the departures of both Kyōgo Furuhashi and, more recently, Nicolas Kühn this year.
The table below underlines this point.
Daizen Maeda
43
Yes
Kyōgo Furuhashi
31
No
Adam Idah
29
Yes
Nicolas Kühn
24
No
Matt O’Riley
19
No
Reo Hatate
14
Yes
Callum McGregor
12
Yes
Arne Engels
10
Yes
Luis Palma
10
No
As the table outlines, three of Celtic’s top five scorers from the last two seasons have departed, very thankful that Daizen Maeda is still at the club, following his 33-goal haul last season, picking up pretty much every individual accolade going.
So now, could the Bhoys secure the signing of a long-term target reminiscent of the Japanese forward?
Well, according to a report by The Daily Record, Celtic are set to step up their interest in Royal Antwerp winger Michel-Ange Balikwisha.
Fair to say, this has entered into saga territory, with the Hoops having been chasing the Belgian for weeks now, if not months, and Antwerp manager Stef Wils admitting publicly that Celtic’s offers so far ‘have been below’ his club’s valuation.
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Just last week, speaking on Off The Underside, Anthony Joseph of Sky Sports stated that Balikwisha “would like to join Celtic”, with the winger valued at around £5m, despite being in the final year of his contract.
So, could this storyline finally be coming to an end, with Balikwisha ending up at Parkhead?
How Michel-Ange Balikwisha would improve Celtic
One of the reasons Celtic appear hesitant to sign Balikwisha is his injury record, missing significant periods of time in recent seasons due to a thigh issue.
Nevertheless, his talent is clear for all to see, with analyst Will Glavin describing him as a “direct wide threat” who is “creative” and “technically sharp”, concluding that he would represent a “potential bargain”, given his contractual situation, and the fact Antwerp may be under pressure to sell, having failed to qualify for European competition.
Meantime, Ben Mattinson describes him as “two-footed” and “capable of beating a defender” both inside and out, which makes him so “unpredictable”.
So, let’s analyse how his statistics compare to those of Maeda.
Appearances
141
158
Minutes
10,089
11,213
Goals
29
62
Assists
17
28
Shots per 90
1.47
1.97
Shots on target %
42%
44.7%
Goals – xG
+3.9
+0.1
Big chances missed
16
60
Take-on success %
39%
37.8%
As the table outlines, Balikwisha and Maeda are stylistically very similar players, with both men comfortable operating off the left flank, or in a centre-forward berth.
The Japanese international does boast the better end product, scoring more goals, providing more assists and mustering more shots, but their similarities are most obvious when it comes to dribbling, the Belgian having the slight edge in that regard.
Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout supports this by praising the Antwerp attacker’s “pace and dribbling” ability.
Meantime, Balikwisha is the more clinical finisher, hence why his goals – xG figure is better, while missing exponentially fewer Opta-defined big chances during the timeframe analysed.
Blair Meikle of the Herald documents how Maeda was Celtic’s most influential player last season, constantly delivering in big moments, but he cannot shoulder the attacking burden by himself, so Balikwisha would surely be an excellent addition, with a huge, season-defining Champions League play-off tie now less than four weeks away.
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