A number of recent arrivals have highlighted the chaos Celtic have created in past transfer windows, with Michel-Ange Balikwisha close to the top of that group.
Celtic brought Balikwisha in for £5 million from Royal Antwerp during the summer while Brendan Rodgers was at the helm, yet as Pat Bonner remarked, he has been ‘nowhere’ to be seen.
Bonner was attempting to outline the tension between the Celtic support and the hierarchy, suggesting one key reason they are ‘annoyed’ is because the squad’s standard has declined, and Balikwisha represents that.
“They have seen quite a bit of ability go out of the door, and it hasn’t been replaced,” explained Bonner. “Balikwisha is a perfect example – they eventually bring him in, and he is nowhere now.”
From Rodgers to Martin O’Neill, that’s multiple Celtic managers who have either used the DR Congo international sparingly or overlooked him altogether.
Pat Bonner questions Michel-Ange Balikwisha’s role at Celtic:
Balikwisha no longer even features in matchday squads, showing how far his situation has slipped, with Bonner describing it as ‘money down the drain’.
The adaptable wide man was also withdrawn after a difficult hour in Celtic’s Scottish Cup tie against Auchinleck Talbot in January.
In any case, Bonner struggles to see how the Hoops will recoup their investment in Balikwisha, as O’Neill continues to sideline him.
“I think the fans are annoyed this year because of the lack of ability,” said Bonner. “They have seen quite a bit of ability go out of the door, and it hasn’t been replaced.
“It’s been replaced with a lot of loan signings. Balikwisha is a perfect example of they bring somebody in. I think they were thinking about him even before the summer transfer window.
“They eventually bring him in, and he is nowhere now. Is that quality? Is that down to himself? Is he unlucky? I don’t think he’s unlucky because he has been given a decent chance to stake his claim.
“But he is out of things completely now, and that’s down to a couple of managers making that decision. They weren’t the managers who brought him in. He’s not even on the bench.
“When you see young players who are 16, 17 and 18, who are in the squad, and he isn’t even in there. Is that money down the drain, really? Are they going to get anything for him? If they were going to move him on. Probably not at this stage.
“So, that is money down the drain. That annoys fans when that example is there.”
Celtic players who have spent more time out of the squad than in it:
You can reel off the names of players Celtic have recruited who have spent more time watching from home than being involved on matchdays in recent seasons.
Looking back to Rodgers’ return in 2023, the recruitment has been underwhelming, and while the Irishman must shoulder his share of responsibility, those in the boardroom also have questions to answer.
That represents a significant financial outlay that is unlikely to be recovered.
- Maik Nawrocki (12 starts after signing in 2023)
- Shin Yamada (one start after signing in 2025)
Hayato Inamura (one start after signing in 2025) - Michel-Ange Balikwisha (three starts after signing in 2025)
- Gustaf Lagerbielke (six starts after signing in 2023, now at Braga)
- Odin Thiago Holm (four starts after signing in 2023).