Celtic have failed to score in six competitive games in the 2025/26 campaign so far, most recently against Dundee on Sunday, as Brendan Rodgers has struggled to find consistent performers at the top end of the pitch.
The Hoops lost one of their most productive attacking outlets in the summer when they sold Nicolas Kuhn to Italian side Como for a fee of £16.5m.
Celtic’s number ten provided 21 goals and 15 assists in 51 appearances in all competitions last season, per Transfermarkt, which shows that he offered a consistent threat as both a scorer and a creator of goals.
The German winger’s number ten shirt was vacated when he left to sign for Como, and summer signing Michel-Ange Balikwisha took over the mantle this season.
Why Celtic need more from Michel-Ange Balikwisha
Celtic signed the Belgian forward from Royal Antwerp for a fee £5m to bolster their options at the top end of the pitch, but he has yet to nail down a place in the starting XI.
The right-footed attacker has provided one assist in seven matches in all competitions for the Hoops, failing to score a single goal, and was an unused substitute against Braga in the Europa League, per Sofascore.
Balikwisha’s assist off the bench for Daizen Maeda’s winner against Motherwell before the international break has been his only meaningful contribution in a Celtic shirt to date, which is why he has only started two of his five outings in the Scottish Premiership.
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Celtic need more quality, goals, and assists from their £5m signing in the final third to justify the price tag and the number ten shirt that he inherited from Kuhn.
Whilst Balikwisha is failing to live up to the number ten shirt, there is another summer signing whose form for the club suggests that he could snatch that number from the Belgian.
Why Sebastian Tounekti is Celtic's next number ten in the making
Sebastian Tounekti arrived from Hammarby for a fee of around £5m, so a similar price tag to Balikwisha’s, and he has hit the ground running in Scotland.
The Tunisia international has started all seven of his appearances for the club since his move to Parkhead on deadline day, including four in the Premiership, two in the Europa League, and one in the League Cup.
Tounekti endeared himself to the supporters in his first appearance for the Hoops against Kilmarnock in September, with direct play that led to four chances created, per Sofascore.
The 23-year-old star scored his first goal for the Scottish giants against Partick Thistle in the League Cup, but he has yet to register a goal or an assist in the Premiership, despite his best efforts.
Appearances
4
Goals
0
Key passes per game
2.5
Assists
0
Dribbles completed per game
1.8
Dribble success rate
41%
As you can see in the table above, the Tunisian star has created ten chances for his teammates in just four appearances, but they have failed to take any of them, which suggests that he is incredibly unfortunate not to have assisted any goals.
Journalist John McGinley claimed “likes being a problem” to opposition defences. That is a quote that sums Tounekti up perfectly, as he is a fearless winger who likes to take players on and make things happen, just as Kuhn was for the Hoops last term.
Balikwisha, who has created 0.4 chances per game and failed to complete any dribbles in the Premiership (Sofascore), has not played with that same fearless attitude in his appearances on the flank.
Unless the Belgian winger can turn his form around and produce performances full of flair, leading to goals and assists, for Celtic in the coming months, there may be question marks over his suitability for the Scottish giants.
If that becomes the case, Tounekti’s fearless performances could see him in pole position to snatch the number ten shirt away from him when the time comes, as he embodies what Kuhn provided with his exciting displays on the wing before his move to Como.