Celtic’s £5m Winger Scores Abroad And Admits His Future: Can O’Neill Ever Forgive His Outburst?

Celtic’s £5m Winger Scores Abroad And Admits His Future: Can O’Neill Ever Forgive His Outburst? Paying £5 million for a winger and watching him ask to come off ten minutes into an Old Firm game isn’t what anybody at Parkhead had in mind. Brendan Rodgers made that gamble on a Royal Antwerp forward, and 13 appearances later the DR Congo international had no goals to show for it. Fourteen months passed without a single strike. Last summer shut him out completely, with no minutes in either leg of the Champions League qualifiers against LASK and no place in the squads for Dundee, Kilmarnock or Dundee United. Writing for Celts Are Here, Michael Shearer reports that 25-year-old Michel-Ange Balikwisha has no regrets about his time in Glasgow, although his comments suggest a return looks unlikely. Speaking to The Celtic Way, he called Celtic a dream transfer and admitted he needed a reset. France and Spain both showed interest, and he picked Belgium for the family and girlfriend waiting there. KAA Gent took him on loan late in the window. Speaking to The Celtic Way, Balikwisha said: “Celtic remains a fantastic club. “For me, it was a dream transfer, even though it turned out this way. “I have absolutely no regrets. It is part of my journey. “In the summer, there was interest from clubs in France and Spain. “But given my situation, I felt the need to be close to my family. “So I decided to return to a familiar environment, to really enjoy football again, close to my family and my girlfriend. “I feel very good and am incredibly happy to be back on the field with a ball at my feet. The feeling is fantastic; it really has been too long.” His numbers at Gent so far He has played 451 minutes across seven games this season. Six came in the Belgian Pro League, four as a starter, with one goal. The other was a full 90 in the Conference League, a 1-0 win over Aarhus on 15 October. His debut came off the bench in a 2-1 win over Club Brugge on 30 August, and the goal arrived at Zulte Waregem on 10 October in a 2-0 victory. No assists yet. Celtic still hold his contract, reportedly worth around £25,000 a week, and his market value sits near £4 million. The loan runs to the end of the season. His quick feet, willingness to take on full-backs and ability to carry the ball through traffic made him a genuine threat in Belgium before his move to Glasgow. Gent let him run at tired legs, and he looks sharper for it. The flaws are glaring. The end product vanished at Celtic, his decisions in the final third look rushed, and he admits the tempo overwhelmed him. Defensive work off the ball never matched what O’Neill demands from wide men. Can Balikwisha ever win back Martin O’Neill at Celtic? KILMARNOCK, SCOTLAND – JANUARY 18: Michel-Ange Balikwisha of Celtic warms up during the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup Fourth Round match between Auchinleck Talbot and Celtic at Rugby Park on January 18, 2026 in Kilmarnock, Scotland. (Photo by WM Sport Media/Getty Images) No. The bridge is gone. Balikwisha admitted he wanted off after ten minutes of his Old Firm debut because he couldn’t handle the pace, and he blamed the club for blocking a temporary MLS loan he felt cost him a World Cup place. O’Neill builds sides on resilient, physically hard characters, and public finger-pointing never wins that dressing room. The wings are full anyway. Jota and Tounekti cover the left, Haissem Hassan and Hyun-jun Yang share the right, Benjamin Nygren has two goals and an assist already, and James Forrest, 35, still closes out games. Celtic lead the Premiership right now with four points separating them and Rangers. Carter-Vickers is out for two matches, and Mika Baur is struggling, so the worries sit in defence and midfield, not on the flanks. Gent hold a buy option for next summer, and Celtic should push for it. A fee near the £5 million paid would clean the books, and ending his drought in Belgium only lifts his price. A controlled loss beats paying wages to a player O’Neill won’t pick.