Not too long ago, Ousmane Dembele was viewed as someone who would never reach his potential. He dealt with constant injury problems at Barcelona and even when he was on the pitch, he was not particularly impressive by any means. Today, he is the reigning Ballon d'Or holder, having inspired PSG to their first UEFA Champions League title. It has been quite the meteoric rise for him. Does one Celtic player have similar traits?
Celtic made quite a few signings this summer. Most of them were not able to impress the fans, as they believe that the club are not showing enough ambition at the moment.
On the pitch, the likes of Kelechi Iheanacho, Sebastian Tounekti and Marcelo Saracchi are showing signs that they might be better signings than they were given credit for. But one struggling fresh face might have the highest potential, although it is up to Brendan Rodgers to unlock it.
That is Michel-Ange Balikwisha. He had a good cameo against Motherwell, but overall, he has not done much of note. Yet, one of his former coaches, who also had a hand in the development of Dembele, appears to believe that they have similar traits.
Celtic player compared to Ousmane Dembele by someone who coached both
Philippe Montanier has had an extensive coaching career. He has managed clubs like Rennes, Nottingham Forest, Standard Liege, Real Sociedad and plenty of others. And two players he has managed over the course of his career are Balikwisha and Dembele. As reported by 67 Hail Hail, he said:
"Personally, I like Mickey as a No 9 where he can score goals and press from the central area, a little like Ousmane Dembele.
“I coached him at Rennes when he started out, and he then went on to play a lot as a winger for different clubs. However, I felt Ousmane always had the qualities to be a central attacker and he is showing that at PSG now.
“Mickey’s best position could also be through the middle because he has the pace, workrate and the intelligence to link the play. It depends on what the Celtic manager’s philosophy and game plan is, but he can definitely be successful in that role."
For his entire career, Dembele was considered a winger. That has changed at PSG, where Luis Enrique has played him more centrally and it is in that role that he has found his biggest success. Could something similar work for Balikwisha as well?
Perhaps Rodgers should give it a try. Celtic are light on options up top anyway. Iheanacho has been decent but he is still not up to full speed and needs rest. On the other hand, Shin Yamada and Johnny Kenny are not ready while Daizen Maeda has struggled to reproduce the goalscoring touch he showcased last season.