Celtic are in advanced talks to send winger Michel-Ange Balikwisha to Belgian Pro League club K.A.A. Gent on loan, according to Sky Sports reporter Anthony Joseph. The structure of the deal includes an option for Gent to sign him permanently for around £3.5 million. Balikwisha, 25, has received permission from Celtic to fly to Belgium and complete a medical.
The DR Congo international was brought in from Royal Antwerp for £5.5 million, but the Scottish champions have now deemed him surplus to requirements. His representatives had been searching for a suitable destination for several weeks.
Balikwisha's time at Celtic has been nothing short of a disaster. The Congolese winger arrived from Antwerp last summer with genuine expectations, only to post 0 goals and 0 ****** ists across 14 appearances throughout the 2025/26 season. He hasn't touched the pitch once in the current 2026/27 campaign.
Those numbers tell a brutal story. In the Scottish Premiership, he failed to register a single shot on target, his dribble success rate sat at a miserable 44%, and he contributed just 2 key passes all season. A ghost, in every statistical sense.
The tactical direction under the Celtic manager Martin O'Neill has moved firmly against wide players who lack structural discipline. Balikwisha's profile, an individualistic, flair-driven attacker, simply didn't fit the system's demand for pressing intensity and defensive positional awareness.
#scottish #ange
The DR Congo international was brought in from Royal Antwerp for £5.5 million, but the Scottish champions have now deemed him surplus to requirements. His representatives had been searching for a suitable destination for several weeks.
Balikwisha's time at Celtic has been nothing short of a disaster. The Congolese winger arrived from Antwerp last summer with genuine expectations, only to post 0 goals and 0 ****** ists across 14 appearances throughout the 2025/26 season. He hasn't touched the pitch once in the current 2026/27 campaign.
Those numbers tell a brutal story. In the Scottish Premiership, he failed to register a single shot on target, his dribble success rate sat at a miserable 44%, and he contributed just 2 key passes all season. A ghost, in every statistical sense.
The tactical direction under the Celtic manager Martin O'Neill has moved firmly against wide players who lack structural discipline. Balikwisha's profile, an individualistic, flair-driven attacker, simply didn't fit the system's demand for pressing intensity and defensive positional awareness.
#scottish #ange
2 months ago
