Injury could wreck £4m star’s Celtic move as target suffers nightmare tear

Based on Sunday’s 4-0 annihilation of Kilmarnock, it’s possible that ecstatic Celtic supporters were not thinking about the necessity for additional attacking reinforcements.

Brendan Rodgers’ team turned on the flair at Parkhead, picking up where they left off in 2023–2024 and making sure Old Firm rivals Rangers would be playing catch-up just 24 hours into the new season.

Liam Scales headed in the first after the brilliant Reo Hatate drilled in the opener, and Nicolas Kuhn then maintained his captivating preseason form with a fantastic solo effort.

Anthony Ralston, the right-back, joined in on the fun as well.

Although it might be somewhat harsh to refer to Celtics’ performance as “papering over the cracks,” their decisive victory over the weekend will not allay Rodgers’ ongoing worries about the depth of attack talent at his disposal.

Although Mikey Johnston and the injured Daezen Maeda did not play, Luis Palma and Yang Hyun-Jun came off the bench, and Celtic may have too many wide forwards, Rodgers is not sure if that is sufficient.

The Hoops manager stated to the Scottish Sun in late July, “My ideal scenario would be to have three strikers,” as the champions were left short after Oh Hyeon-Gyu left for Genk and Rocco Vata moved to Watford.

The intention was for us to have Kyogo, another, and a child. That’s the part we imagined for Rocco.

“Three is challenging. However, I also believed that bringing in a young player from within would be beneficial for their growth. That was Rocco, but he has gone on.

Celtic don’t even currently have two.

Even though Celtic’s initial offer of £4 million was significantly less than Norwich City’s demands, a return for Adam Idah is still planned, and HITC has learned that a bid has been made for Hearts striker Lawrence Shankland.

Michel Ange Balikwisha is another name that has been brought up.

Three weeks ago, Belgian reporter Sacha Tavolieri revealed on X that Celtic had begun negotiations with the Royal Antwerp speedster.

However, with the window closing in a matter of weeks, Balikwisha could scarcely have chosen a worse moment to rupture a muscle.

One that might put him out of commission for two months and blow the whistle on a possible exit from the 2023 Jupiler League winners, according to Gazete van Antwerpen.

Three years ago, Balikwisha left Standard Liege for Royal Antwerp in a £4 million transfer, turning down interest from West Brom and Brighton & Hove Albion, two Premier League teams at the time.

The former Belgium Under 21 international is a positive and lively forward who can play outside or down the middle on the left side of the pitch. In all competitions last season, he notched ten goals and assisted eight more.

However, Balikwisha’s injury means he might miss the next seven Scottish Premiership games, including the season’s opening Old Firm match, if Celtic were to trade for him. By the time he returns in October, Celtic will also have played their first match in the Champions League group stages.

Chris Sutton, a Celtic hero, tells the Daily Record that “negotiations can be tricky,” expressing worry that the Glasgow giants have failed to replace a significant void in their roster.

However, I find it puzzling that Celtic ought to have finished their preseason schedule of fittings that are not in the door (Idah).

Likewise with Paulo Bernardo. Instead of signing less than three days before the Premiership began, he ought to have been a member of the squad in the United States, competing against Chelsea, Manchester City, and DC United, and becoming settled in with the group.

“I understand that those boys don’t really require a transition time because they were at Celtic the previous season and know what it’s about. However, it is still uncomfortable to sit in.

The Glasgow giants were restricted to a goalless draw against Hearts on Saturday, giving them an early lead in points over archrivals Rangers.

Reo Hatate and Liam Scales scored for Brendan Rodgers’ team before halftime, and Nicolas Kuhn and Anthony Ralston completed the scoring in the second half. The team put up a commanding performance at Parkhead.

This summer, Celtic has had a rather quiet transfer season. Paulo Bernardo returned to the club permanently, and two goalkeepers, Kasper Schmeichel and Viljami Sinisalo, were the sole additions.

With Southampton and Atalanta expressing interest in Matt O’Riley, Celtic’s attempt to hold onto their greatest players has taken up the majority of attention this summer.

Premier League teams are also interested in Hatate, but Celtic have been cautioned that Rodgers might quit if both players are sold this summer.

Despite being connected to a move away, O’Riley and Hatate both started in a midfield three for Celtic on Sunday.

After the game, Rodgers heaped praise on Hatate, highlighting his performance in particular, and said he now knew what he wanted in a center midfielder.

Rodgers stated, “I think that what I’ve seen over the course of pre-season, he’s top class,” as reported by the Daily Record. For whatever reason, I didn’t see the player I had intended to see at the start of the last campaign. I had seen him play, so I knew about him and appreciated what I saw.

“He did occasionally join the team, but not on a regular basis. However, he has returned for the preseason, and given how the season concluded, that confidence is evident.

He is aware of my admiration for him as a player and my expectations of him. It doesn’t matter; I had wanted to see that last season. Now that he is here, he has been nothing short of amazing.

since his return. I’m therefore quite happy for him.

Celtic should think twice before selling Hatate if they were thinking about doing so this summer.

READ MORE: “Baffling,” according to Chris Sutton This summer, Celtic did not sign an £8 million ace.

The Japanese midfielder is obviously an important member of Rodgers’ team, and he has great ambitions for him this season.

O’Riley’s departure is becoming more likely, and Celtic cannot afford to lose two of their best midfield players so late in the transfer market.