“Celtic’s interest was concrete, but I chose to stay,” Michel-Ange Balikwisha

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The Celtic Star

·10. Februar 2025

“Celtic’s interest was concrete, but I chose to stay,” Michel-Ange Balikwisha

Michel-Ange Balikwisha has revealed that he rejected the opportunity to move to Celtic Park last month when the transfer window was open…

Michel-Ange Balikwisha and Arbnor Muja of Royal Antwerp look on prior to the UEFA Champions League match between Shakhtar Donetsk and Royal Antwerp at Volksparkstadion on November 28, 2023 in Hamburg, Germany. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

The winger has been a player that has been linked with the club since Brendan Rodgers returned in the summer of 2023 to undertake a second spell in charge of the Hoops.

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Injury caused Celtic to miss out on their target

The man who plays for Royal Antwerp in Belgium has been scouted and watched closely by the recruitment team at Lennoxtown, but a lengthy injury caused the Hoops to miss out on their target.

Balikwisha has now revealed though that the club did go back in for him this January transfer window just passed, but that he turned down the chance to move to Scotland as he wants to fully recover from his injury set-back before making a decision on his future this summer.

The speedy wide-man who has 18 months left on his current contract with the Pro League side admitted that the Bhoys did make an offer for him but that he chose to stay were he is for now and concentrate on getting back to full fitness for the rest of the season.

Michel-Ange Balikwisha – “Celtic’s interest was concrete, but I chose to stay”

Balikwisha said: “Celtic’s interest was concrete, but I chose to stay. Leaving with an injury was not ideal for me. I would rather take good care of myself so I could be ready for the play-offs. We will see in the summer transfer window,” as reported by Sports Witness.

Michel-Ange Balikwisha of Royal Antwerp takes a shot whilst under pressure from Jules Kounde of Barcelona during the UEFA Champions League match between FC Barcelona and Royal Antwerp at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on September 19, 2023 in Barcelona. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

The Celtic target added: “I’m still searching for sharpness in front of goal, but that will come back in time. I’m happy that everything is going well. It feels good to touch the ball again.

‘I’ve had highs and lows, and I’ve had two surgeries’

“I’ve had highs and lows, and I’ve had two surgeries. There was something wrong with the stitching. That’s why the recovery period took longer than expected. I could have continued playing, but you don’t want to play football in pain. Then I chose to rehabilitate on an individual basis – something the club agreed to – to feel 100 per cent again.”

Michel-Ange Balikwisha of Royal Antwerp is tackled by Jules Kounde of Barcelona during the UEFA Champions League Group H match between FC Barcelona and Royal Antwerp at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on September 19, 2023 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

Celtic brought Jota back to the club in January window

Celtic moved to bring Jota back home last month from Rennes in a deal that is already paying dividends in the last few games.

Brendan Rodgers was on the lookout for more though, as he was left down in the hunt for a striker to replace the departed Kyogo. There were rumours that Brendan wanted another winger moving forward too though, with Sondre Ørjasæter heavily linked with a move. That never came to fruition but with the news from Balikwisha, maybe it’s something the club will return to in the summer transfer window ahead of the Champions League qualifiers.

Paul Gillespie

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