Kieran Tierney is back at Celtic.

On Tuesday, the club officially confirmed Tierney's return to Parkhead, re-joining on a free transfer, six years after he departed Glasgow initially, heading for Arsenal.

Safe to say, Celtic supporters are excited to see the beloved left-back bedecked in green and white hoops again, but could Brendan Rodgers now land a winger to play in front of the returning hometown hero?

Celtic chasing a new winger

So, with Tierney through the door and the Bhoys chasing more recruits, who's up next at Paradise?

Well, according to a report by RMC SPORT, Celtic are 'back in the race' to sign Michel-Ange Balikwisha this summer, adding that 'discussions regarding personal terms' have already begun.

The Hoops have a long-standing interest in the winger, with Royal Antwerp general manager Sven Jaecques admitting that they had been negotiating with both Celtic and Stade Rennais last summer, only for Balikwisha to suffer an injury that curtailed these talks.

Well, as outlined by Manuel Meza of Sports Illustrated, Balikwisha now has just one year remaining on his contract with Antwerp, hence why the Belgian outfit 'are looking to cash in', especially after they failed to qualify for Europe, defeated 2-1 by Royal Charleroi in a Jupiler Pro League play-off at Bosuilstadion last month.

According to Transfermarkt, the 24-year-old is worth around £5m, having been valued at close to double that as recently as December 2023, so could he be on his way to Glasgow?

How Michel-Ange Balikwisha would improve Celtic

A Belgian U21 international, Balikwisha made his professional debut for Standard Liège, before joining Royal Antwerp in 2021, making 141 appearances for the Reds, scoring 29 goals and registering 17 assists.

He was a key figure in the Antwerp side that won the league and Coupe de Belgique double in 2022/23, Antwerp's first Belgian title since 1957, before scoring against Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League the following season.

Balikwisha's career has been blighted by injuries in more recent times, requiring knee surgery in January 2024, before making just 17 appearances this season due to a torn thigh muscle, albeit he started each of Antwerp's final 11 fixtures of the campaign.

So, let's assess his statistics.

As the table shows, Balikwisha generally ranks very highly for all the attacking metrics included, which is very impressive considering that he missed seven matches due to injury during the 2023/24 campaign, as well as the fact that the Jupiler Pro League is the eighth-strongest division in the world, according to Global Football Rankings.

Analyst Ben Mattinson describes him as a "two-footed" left-wing who is certainly "capable of beating a defender" both inside and out, while Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout believes he operates best as an "inside forward", praising his "pace, dribbling and finishing" as his main attributes.

Thus, one can certainly envisage Balikwisha and Tierney linking up well together down the Celts' left-hand side. The Scot was simply sublime in green and white last time, registering as many as 37 assists. Safe to say he was one of the best left-sided players in the whole country.

Now, with the returning hero bombing down the left flank again, as is very much his want, the Belgian would be given the license to cut inside and get shots away.

On paper at least, it sounds like they would form a devastating duo.