Celtic lost a huge talent in the recent summer transfer window when they decided to cash in on Nicolas Kuhn by selling him to Italian COMO for a reported £16.5million.
The German winger has endured a difficult start to life in Serie, failing to score or assist a goal in one of his first five games in the division, but his time at Parkhead suggests the best is yet to come.
Celtic signed the left-footed star from Rapid Vienna in the January transfer window in early 2024, and his best form for the club has come after a difficult start to life in Glasgow.
How Nicolas Kuhn saved his Celtic career
The former Bayern Munich and Ajax trainee has produced three goals and three assists in 18 appearances in the second half of the 2023/24 campaign, including one goal and one assist in the Cup, via transfer.
Kuhn needed time to adjust and adapt to the intensity of Scottish football and the pressure of playing for Celtic, however, and his best performances for the club came after this initial period of adaptation.
During his full season at Parkhead, the 25-year-old star has racked up an eye-catching return of 21 goals and 15 assists in 51 appearances in all competitions, according to Transfermarkt, which shows he has found his feet in Scotland to deliver consistent performances.
Kuhn is therefore the poster child for why fans and pundits should perhaps give some players more time to adapt to life at Celtic if they don’t hit the ground running.
With that in mind, the Scottish Premiership champions could be brewing their next version of the German superstar, and it’s not Sebastian Tounekti.
The Celtic player who is the next Nicolas Kuhn
Unlike Kuhn, Tounekti has enjoyed a fairly solid start to his career at Parkhead and has all but nailed down a place in the starting XI on the left flank, thanks to his exciting wing play following his deadline day move from Hammarby.
The Tunisia international has completed 14 dribbles in five matches in all competitions, per Sofascore, and scored against Partick Thistle in the League Cup.
Meanwhile, Michel-Oge Balikwisha, who joined Royal Antwerp in the summer, has not been as successful in winning over the fan base since his move to the club.
After the 3-2 win over Motherwell, Brendan Rodgers explained that it’s all “been a bit of a blur” for the Belgian striker since moving to Parkhead, suggesting he may be suffering from the same adaptation problems Kuhn had early on.
|
Balikwisha with change Michel |
24/25 Pro league |
25/26 Premiership |
|---|---|---|
|
Appearances |
16 |
4 |
|
Shots per match |
1.1 |
0.0 |
|
Goals |
4 |
0 |
|
Key passes per match |
1.6 |
0.5 |
|
Big chances created |
7 |
1 |
|
Aids |
3 |
1 |
|
Successful dribbles per game |
0.4 |
0.0 |
|
Statistics via sofascore |
||
As you can see in the table above, Balikwisha’s stats for Royal Antwerp in the Pro League last season suggest he has more speed to be found in Glasgow, as he has struggled at the top end of the pitch for Celtic so far.
The young striker delivered a fantastic assist for Daizen Maeda’s winner against Motherwell in the Premiership last weekend, his first goal contribution for the club, and this could be the time he needs to kick on and make a name for himself at Parkhead.
Balikwisha, who was described as an “exciting” player by Rodgers, was a little too timid in his first few outings for the hoops, as evidenced by zero shots and 0.5 key passes per game over four games.
The Belgian striker needs to show more conviction and drive in his performances on the wing, as he did in the Professional League with his former club, and not worry about making a mistake or the crowd on his back.
If he can step up to produce fearless performances, then his Belgium form can translate to Scotland. He could follow in Kuhn’s footsteps by hitting his stride in front of goal after a difficult start to life in Glasgow.
