Celtic have lacked quality in the forward department for a lot of the 2025/26 campaign, with Benjamin Nygren being the only attacker who has shown any consistency in the final third.
The Swedish star has scored 15 goals in the Scottish Premiership since his move to Glasgow from Denmark last summer, whilst playing as a central midfielder, and no other player in the squad has scored more than seven league goals.
25 of the 30 players who have played a game for Celtic in the league this season have an xG total that is higher than the number of goals that they have scored.
Nygren is one of two players in the squad, alongside Kieran Tierney, who has outperformed his xG total by more than one goal, scoring 15 goals from 11.15 xG.
Celtic have made plenty of moves this season to bolster their attack, signing eight wingers or strikers since last summer, but too many of them have failed to deliver, including Joel Mvuka and Michel-Ange Balikwisha.
What O’Neill has said about Balikwisha & Mvuka absence
Mvuka, who signed on loan from Lorient in January, is yet to make a matchday squad in the Premiership and was substituted at half-time in his debut against Dundee in the SFA Cup.
Balikwisha, meanwhile, was signed from Royal Antwerp for £5m last summer and has not played a single minute in the league since October, whilst his last appearance in any competition came against semi-professional side Auchinleck Talbot in the SFA Cup in January.
When asked why the £5m man has not been involved, Martin O’Neill said: “Listen, to be perfectly honest, I don’t think he’s had a proper chance.
“He certainly hasn’t had a proper chance under my time, because I thought there were other people that may be better equipped for this league at this minute.”
When asked about Mvuka’s lack of league minutes last month, the Celtic boss said: “I think it’s just getting used to the environment.
“These lads have played decent grades of football before. But it’s the intensity here at this minute, and some players, like James Forrest, have been used to that sort of intensity. So we’ll see.”
The pair have combined for no goals and two assists in 15 appearances for Celtic in all competitions this season, and O’Neill’s comments do not suggest that they are particularly close to barging their way into the side to add more to that tally.
Celtic already sold a Mvuka & Balikwisha upgrade
Teams are always looking to improve their squads to take the next step in their journey, which means that, naturally, clubs will make mistakes by selling the wrong players and buying the wrong players.
At this moment in time, it looks like signing Balikwisha and Mvuka was a mistake, because neither of them can get in the matchday squad, despite the DR Congo international joining for a fee of £5m.
Given the struggles the Hoops have had with their forward signings this season, it also looks like selling Mikey Johnston to West Brom for £3m in the summer of 2024 was an error in judgement.
After scoring seven goals in 20 games on loan with the Baggies in the second half of the 2023/24 campaign, Celtic decided to cash in on the forward instead of giving him a chance to continue that form at Parkhead.
Fast-forward to the present day and Johnston has delivered 11 goal contributions in 34 league games for West Brom this season, scoring two goals and providing nine assists.
|
Most assists in 25/26 Championship |
|
|---|---|
|
Player |
Assists |
|
Gus Hamer |
10 |
|
Mikey Johnston |
9 |
|
Leo Scienza |
8 |
|
Sorba Thomas |
8 |
|
Marcelino Nunez |
8 |
Only Sheffield United’s Gus Hamer has provided more assists than the Ireland international in the English second tier this season, which speaks to how incredibly creative he has been on the wing.
The 26-year-old star, who was described as a “throwback” winger by coach Tommy McIntyre, has created 7.59 xA and assisted nine goals in the league. Meanwhile, no Celtic player has created more than 6.29 xA or assisted more than seven goals in the Premiership.
Johnston would be the most creative player in O’Neill’s squad on current form and offer a lot more than Mvuka and Balikwisha, who cannot even make a matchday squad in the Premiership of late.
The Irish winger, who scored 13 goals in 93 games for Celtic, was only sold for a fee of £3m, yet looks like a far better option on the wing than Balikwisha, who cost £5m, and Mvuka, whose loan includes a £3m option to buy, which is why the club must rue cashing in on him.
Perhaps Johnston’s form in comparison to the club’s recent wide additions will be a lesson to be learned from, as players who are thriving out on loan should be given more of an opportunity to impress upon their return to the club.
Celtic sound out ex-Dundee and Brighton striker with 18 goals this season as Hoops prep for rebuild
Martin O’Neill’s side want to be ambitious.
