Celtic have not made many headline-making signings during the summer transfer window so far, but the return of Kieran Tierney has been the exception.
The Scotland international has returned to Parkhead after six years down south with Arsenal, putting pen to paper on a permanent deal after his deal at The Emirates expired at the start of this month.
Tierney has played four times in pre-season for the Scottish Premiership champions and registered an assist for Liam Scales in the 4-0 win over Newcastle United.
Celtic supporters can get excited about the prospect of watching the attack-minded left-back bombing up and down the left flank to make an impact in the final third next season.
However, it remains to be seen who will be playing ahead of him on the left wing on a regular basis, whether Daizen Maeda starts on the left or plays through the middle as a number nine.
Celtic hope for bargain deal for new winger
The Scottish giants are in the market to add another left-sided attacker to their squad before the end of the summer transfer window, and are keen on a star who would love Tierney.
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According to the Daily Record, Celtic are refusing to give up on their long-standing pursuit of Royal Antwerp attacker Michel-Ange Balikwisha.
The report claims that the Belgian forward is out of contract next summer and that the Hoops hope to land a ‘cut-price’ deal for him, as the ‘cash-strapped’ Pro League side are open to selling.
However, Royal Antwerp have been reluctant to budge on their £5m valuation of the winger and negotiations are seemingly ongoing to find a middle ground.
The Daily Record adds that Balikwisha has been identified as a top target for the Hoops, and it is now down to them to reach an agreement with the Belgian side.
Why Michel-Ange Balikwisha would love Kieran Tierney
If Celtic can strike a deal for the 24-year-old forward, Balikwisha and Tierney could form an exciting connection down the left flank for Brendan Rodgers next season.
As shown by the left-back’s assist tally of 37 from his first spell at the club, the Scotland international is a full-back who loves to go down the outside to deliver crosses and create goals by holding the width.
This means that Tierney is the perfect foil for a left-sided attacker who wants to cut inside onto their right foot, because his energetic runs down the flank can draw attention away from the winger by giving the opposition’s defender an extra player to think about.
Therefore, Balikwisha could take advantage of that potential overload, depending on how much the other team’s right winger wants to track back, to either play Tierney into the space out wide or to dribble inside with the ball to exploit the space that the left-back’s run could create.
Starts
27
12
xG
6.46
2.65
Goals
7
4
Big chances created
6
7
Key passes per game
1.5
1.6
Assists
5
3
Based on the Belgian dynamo’s form in the Pro League in the last two seasons, as shown in the table above, the £5m-rated star could make a fairly big impact in the final third by playing with the former Arsenal man.
Balikwisha, who was described as a “creative” talent by analyst Will Glavin, has the quality to deliver both goals and assists for his side from the left flank, as he outperformed his xG and averaged 1.5 key passes or more per game across two years in his home country.
These statistics show that coupling him with Tierney down the left will cause the opposition’s right-back plenty of problems, whilst also forcing the other team’s manager to have to pull players from other positions to come and double up on them, possibly creating overloads elsewhere on the park.
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Therefore, signing Balikwisha could be a move that makes a lot of sense for Celtic and one that could be very effective for their left side next season.
