Better signing than Balikwisha: £5m star is late leading target for Celtic
da betobet： Celtic have little more than 24 hours left to do any remaining transfer business that they feel they need to do to set them up for the first half of the 2025/26 campaign.
da dobrowin： The Scottish Premiership giants agreed a £7m fee with Swansea City to allow Adam Idah to move on from the club, just 12 months after signing him from Norwich City, but have put the brakes on that transfer for now.
They are only willing to allow that switch to go through before the deadline if a replacement is brought through the door to replace the Ireland international.
Talks are said to be ongoing over a move for Anderlecht centre-forward Kasper Dolberg, and his arrival at Parkhead would mean that Idah can complete a transfer to Wales.
Celtic have managed to bring in one attacker in the final days of the window, though, as Michel-Ange Balikwisha has arrived from Royal Antwerp in a £5m move.
The Premiership champions chased the Belgian forward throughout the summer transfer window and have finally landed their man on a permanent deal.
What Michel-Ange Balikwisha can bring to Celtic
In Celtic’s official announcement of the signing, Brendan Rodgers explained that one of Balikwisha’s strengths is that he can play on both flanks.
The manager told the club’s website: “He is a really talented, exciting player and with a good level of experience at a high level already, so he will be an important player for us moving forward. He loves to attack and can play both sides of the pitch so we are sure he will give the team some great options.”
Rodgers’ claim that Balikwisha is an exciting player is one that is also backed up by his statistics for Royal Antwerp in the last two seasons in the Pro League.
The 24-year-old attacker scored four goals and provided three assists in 12 starts last term, and managed seven goals and five assists in 25 starts in the 2023/24 campaign, per Sofascore.
This shows that he is a winger who has the potential to deliver goals and assists in almost equal measure for the Scottish giants if he can quickly adapt to football in the Premiership.
Michel-Ange Balikwisha’s injury record
Season
Injuries
Games missed
24/25
3
29
23/24
1
10
22/23
2
14
21/22
2
10
Stats via Transfermarkt
As you can see in the table above, though, there may be some concerns over his injury record, as he has missed at least ten matches through injury in each of the last four seasons.
This means that the biggest hurdle standing in the way of Balikwisha being a success at Parkhead could be his availability, as consistent injury problems could disrupt his time in Glasgow.
With this in mind, one of the players the club are currently looking to bring in before the summer transfer window closes could be an even better signing.
£5m star is a leading target for Celtic
Despite signing Balikwisha from Royal Antwerp for £5m, the Scottish giants are still looking to add more quality to their squad in the attacking midfield positions.
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According to The Celtic Star, Rodgers wants the club to either sign two new strikers and another winger or two new wingers and another striker before the deadline.
The report claims that Go Ahead Eagles star Jakob Breum has emerged as one of the leading contenders to arrive at Parkhead before the window slams shut on Monday.
It adds that it could take a fee of at least £5m to secure the Denmark U21 international’s signature in a last-gasp move for the star, but they have yet to reach an agreement with the Eredivisie outfit.
Celtic must, now, move quickly to agree a deal with Go Ahead Eagles to ensure that they do not leave it too late to get a transfer over the line on deadline day.
Why Breum could be a better signing than Balikwisha
The Hoops could land an even better signing than their new winger from Royal Antwerp by pushing through with a swoop for the Eredivisie talent, because of his injury record and is quality on the pitch.
The Danish maestro has only missed 11 games through injury, suffering just one, in his entire career to date, per Transfermarkt. This suggests that he may be more reliable than Balikwisha when it comes to being available week-in-week-out.
Availability is the best ability because, simply, a player cannot make a difference on the pitch if they are not fit enough to play, which is why the Go Ahead Eagles star may have more to offer to Celtic by being available more often than the Belgian winger.
Breum, who was described as an “exciting” talent by Sport Republic video scout RDF Tactics, is also an impressive attacking force who could provide plenty of quality in the final third, as either an attacking midfielder or as a right-sided forward.
24/25 Eredivisie
Jakob Breum
Percentile rank vs AMs
xG
6.27
Top 8%
xG on target
8.35
Top 5%
Shots on target
22
Top 7%
Goals
10
Top 5%
xA
5.60
Top 8%
Assists
5
Top 17%
Chances created
44
Top 7%
Stats via FotMob
As you can see in the table above, the Denmark U21 international caught the eye in the Eredivisie last season with his contributions as both a goalscorer and a creator.
Breum’s haul of 15 goal contributions in the Dutch top-flight last term shows that he can make an impact in the final third on a consistent basis, and that he could offer even more than Balikwisha, who has never managed more than 12 goal contributions in a league season, per Sofascore.
These statistics suggest that the Danish whiz could win more points for the Hoops, whether that is in the Premiership or the league phase of the Europa League, because he may provide more game-changing goal contributions from the attacking midfield slots.
Therefore, overall, Breum could be an even better signing for Celtic than Balikwisha as a younger talent who has shown more in front of goal and been more reliable with his fitness in recent seasons.
