Celtic flop who’s “contributing nothing” is the worst signing since Barkas

Celtic coach Wilfried Nancy quickly opened his eyes to how difficult the task would be after losing his first two matches as coach of the club.

The Frenchman lost 2-1 to Hearts on Sunday and 3-0 to Roma on Thursday, both at Parkhead, and now has a League Cup final clash with St Mirren to prepare for on Sunday.

While Nancy’s tactics or system can be criticized and blamed for both results, fingers must also be pointed at summer recruitment, as several signings failed to deliver results.

Ranking of Celtic’s worst summer signings

Celtic swooped in to bring in ten players during the summer transfer window, as well as signing Kelechi Iheanacho the day after the window closed, in a bid to bolster Brendan Rodgers’ squad.

Unfortunately, not too many of these recruits stepped forward to provide consistent quality on the field for the Hoops, or were not considered good enough to be given many opportunities to impress.

For example, Hayato Inamura and Jahmai Simpson-Pousey have each made one appearance in the Scottish Premiership this season, according to WhoScored, since their move to Parkhead.

As you can see in the table above, Sebastian Toncti also ranks among the club’s worst summer signings, as he has only scored two goals in 19 appearances, according to Sofascore, since his £5.2m move from Hammarby.

We’ve rated Michel Ange Palicuesha as the club’s worst signing, as he currently looks to be Celtic’s worst signing since the signing of Vasilios Barkas.

Why is Palicuesha the worst signing for Celtic since Barkas?

Celtic reportedly paid £4.5m to sign Barkas from AEK Athens in 2020, and he made just 24 appearances in three years before releasing him on a free transfer in the summer of 2023.

The Greece international was never able to establish himself as a goalkeeper, making just 15 league appearances in his first season, despite being the most expensive goalkeeper signing in the club’s history, according to Transfermarkt.

Since Celtic paid £4.5m to sign Barkas in the summer of 2020, the Hoops have spent more than £5m on six players. Per Transfermarkt, Tounekti, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Auston Trusty, Adam Idah, Jota and Arne Engels have all signed for £5m or more since that summer.

Carter Vickers and Jota are key players when fit. Trusty, Toncti and Ingles started both games under Nancy, with Idah scoring 20 goals in all competitions last season before his move to Swansea.

However, Balikwesha was signed for £5m from Royal Antwerp, costing slightly less than that six but more than Barkas, and was a major flop at Parkhead.

As you can see in the table above, the DR Congo international has been an unused substitute in six of the club’s last ten matches in all competitions.

This season, according to Transfermarkt, Palicuesha has made 13 appearances and been an unused substitute on seven occasions for the Scottish giants, showing that he has failed to even get onto the pitch on a regular basis.

In those 13 matches, the Belgium-born flop has not scored any goals and provided just one assist for the team, which also shows that he has not done enough at the top of the pitch to suggest that he deserves more minutes.

Last September, pundit Hugh Keevens claimed that Palikwesha “contributes nothing” and that he looks “afraid” in a Celtic shirt. Unfortunately, three months later, this still appears to be the case.

For £5m, given the aforementioned success of players signed for similar fees in recent years, the Hoops should get more from the former Pro League star on the pitch this season, as he simply isn’t offering enough.

Like Barkas, Palekwesha has ended up on the sidelines, watching others perform in his place, and it would not be surprising, on current evidence, to see him end up like the Greek international by leaving the club for well under £5m.

Related to

The Celtic star was ‘ready’ to leave, and now he could be the new Tierney under Nancy

This Celtic star who was set to leave the club in the summer could become Wilfried Nancy’s Kieran Tierney.

That’s why he currently looks like the club’s worst signing since Barkas as he hasn’t contributed as much as other players brought in for big money, or established himself as a regular starter. However, there is still time left for him to change that opinion and start a career for himself at Parkhead.