Since the arrival of Brendan Rodgers as manager for a second stint at Parkhead, Celtic's recruitment has been questionable at best. Not much needs to be said for some of the signings that were made in 2023. And while the Hoops did splash out on bringing in the likes of Arne Engels, Adam Idah and Auston Trusty, it has not exactly worked out for any of them, with the Irish striker already at Swansea City while the other two struggle for starting opportunities.
Of course, there is not much that remains to be said about the lack of ambition shown this summer. But fans will be hoping that some of the new additions prove to be good players.
Sebastian Tounekti has raised expectations with a brilliant debut against Kilmarnock. On the opposite flank, Michel-Ange Balikwisha struggled once again though, after a disappointing display against the Rangers as well.
It looks like Balikwisha is already being written off as a starter by many. As reported by CeltsAreHere, James McFadden said on Open Goal:
"I don’t know what they’re going to do on the right. Is Iheanacho going to come in with Maeda on the right hand side?
“I think so, because I don’t think Balikwisha will be seen on the right again. And he’s not going to play on the left, because Tounekti looks really good.
“So I would imagine that Maeda will go to the right, Iheanacho will play as the striker, and you’ve got that stretching of the game."
Celtic summer signing told he is out of first-team plans already
It might be a bit too early to count Balikwisha out. He has only played a couple of games so far and one of them was not even in his preferred position.
That being said, it is important to make the most of your opportunities at a club like Celtic, because it is very easy to lose your spot in the team and never get it back again. Just ask Luis Palma, who had made a phenomenal start to life at Parkhead but was struggling to even come off the bench later on.
Balikwisha needs to be showing a lot more than he has in his two games so far if he is to have a future at Celtic. But let's not count him out just yet.