Questions being asked about Celtic’s Michel-Ange Balikwisha signing

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The Celtic Star

·9 December 2025

Questions being asked about Celtic’s Michel-Ange Balikwisha signing

Questions rightly being asked of Michel-Ange Balikwisha, a summer signing for around £5m, and a player that Celtic chased for around two years…

Michel-Ange Balikwisha. theRangers v Celtic,31 August 2025. Photo Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)

Michel-Ange Balikwisha was by all accounts a player we tracked for two whole years, before eventually splashing out upwards of £5 million on the former Belgian under 21 international in the summer.

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Balikwisha has failed to make an impact at Celtic

Unfortunately for Michel-Ange and the supporters, the now DR Congo international hasn’t even come close to justifying that time and outlay, as he’s struggled to make any sort of impact, indeed he struggles to even make it off the bench in most games.

Michel-Ange Balikwisha of Celtic Celtic v Hibernian, Scottish Premiership, Celtic Park, 27 September 2025. Photo Stuart Wallace IMAGO/Shutterstock

Despite starting at Ibrox not long after signing, he has barely been given a sniff of first team opportunities, with most of his registered appearances coming as a substitute.

Martin O’Neill offered words of encouragement but not game-time

Martin O’Neill and Shaun Maloney at Easter Road. Sunday 30 November 2025. Hibs v Celtic, Scottish Premiership. Photo Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)

It was the same story under interim manager Martin O’Neill, and a familiar pattern looks to be emerging under Wilfried Nancy, as the former Antwerp man was yet again deemed surplus to requirements against Hearts, despite us looking for ways to get back into the game.

Raises questions over Celtic’s recruitment strategy

Celtic Chief Executive Michael Nicholson and Celtic Chief Financial Officer Chris Mackay in the directors box. Celtic v Hearts, Scottish Premiership, Celtic Park, 07 December 2025. IMAGO photo Stuart Wallace Shutterstock

It rightly raises questions over our recruitment strategy, especially since THREE different Celtic managers don’t seem to fancy Michel-Ange. Okay , Wilfried Nancy hasn’t had the time to make his own mind up yet, but we’ll see if he backs the view of Brendan Rodgers and Martin O’Neill in preferring to go with our other wingers, none of whom are particularly impressing this season. So it’s a rather low bar that Balikwisha has failed to get over to win a starting place.

Michel-Ange Balikwisha of Celtic during the UEFA Europa League 2025/26 League Phase MD3 match between Celtic FC and SK Sturm Graz at Celtic Park on October 23, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

We’ve been unimpressed with him in the short moments he has played but you wonder what he’s like in training up at Lennoxtown? The 24 year old could well come good in time, but at the moment it looks very unlikely, and once again highlights our incompetence on the recruitment front.

Nancy may extract some value from Celtic’s £5m investment in Balikwisha

Celtic Unveil new manager Wilfried Nancy at Lennoxtown Training Centre on December 05, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Maybe Wilfried Nancy will extract some value for the £5m invested in a player who has been fit but has failed to make any sort of impact at Celtic. He must be a good player because everything’s World Class at Celtic, is it not?

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