He’d revive Yamada: Celtic in ongoing talks to sign “creative” £5m star

Celtic won their fourth game in five pre-season matches on Saturday when they put Premier League side Newcastle United to the sword at Parkhead.

The Hoops ran out 4-0 winners against the Magpies in front of their supporters, thanks to goals from Arne Engels, Johnny Kenny, Hyun-jun Yang, and Liam Scales.

Brendan Rodgers will surely be delighted with the way that pre-season is going for his team, given this impressive result, but there are still more gears for the Hoops to find as they continue to improve their squad with new signings.

Their most recent signing was announced on the morning of the clash with Newcastle, as the club confirmed the arrival of Shin Yamada on a permanent deal from Kawasaki Frontale.

The Japanese centre-forward got the chance to say hello to the supporters at Parkhead on Saturday, but he did not sign in time to be involved on the pitch.

It will now be interesting to see what kind of role the 25-year-old striker plays at Celtic next season, because he has arrived in Glasgow off the back of a frustrating campaign in his home country.

Why Celtic need to revive Shin Yamada

Speaking to the club’s official website as part of the announcement, Rodgers said: “He (Yamada) is a strong player who can score goals and create goals for others and I think he is someone who can definitely add an important dimension to our forward line.”

This suggests that the Northern Irish head coach believes that the Japanese number nine has the quality to make a big impact in the Scottish Premiership for the Hoops next term, despite his form in 2025.

In the 2025 J1 League campaign, Yamada scored two goals in 21 appearances for Kawasaki Frontale, whilst he also only provided one assist for his teammates and created 0.4 chances per game on average.

That does not mean that he is not likely to offer any quality in the final third for Celtic, though, because his form in the 2024 campaign was sensational.

As you can see in the table above, Yamada scored a whopping 19 goals in 38 league games in 2024 before his decline in form in the first half of this year.

If Celtic can revive the striker and get him back to his best at the top end of the pitch, Rodgers could have a lethal and prolific centre-forward on his hands.

The Hoops are also in the market to add more quality to their options out wide, and they are reportedly pursuing a deal for a star who could help Yamada to get back to his goalscoring best.

Celtic in talks to sign new winger

According to the Daily Record, Celtic remain interested in a move to bring Royal Antwerp forward Michel-Ange Balikwisha to Parkhead before the end of the summer transfer window.

The report claims that talks over a deal to sign the Belgian attacker have been ‘ongoing’, as Rodgers looks to bolster his options on the flanks after Jota’s injury and Nicolas Kuhn’s move to Como.

It adds that Royal Antwerp boss Stef Wils has revealed that it is “possible” that the 24-year-old will complete a transfer away from the club ‘soon’, opening the door to a move to Parkhead.

The Daily Record adds that Balikwisha, who is reportedly valued at £5m, has been a long-term transfer target for the Hoops, and they are in talks to finally get a deal over the line.

It also reveals that Royal Antwerp are keen to cash in on the Belgian winger this summer because his current contract with the club is due to expire at the end of next season.

Why Yamada would love Balikwisha

Yamada could be one player who would be happy to see the Scottish Premiership champions secure a transfer for the Pro League attacker this summer, because the flanker could be perfect for the striker.

As aforementioned, the Japanese marksman needs to improve his form in front of goal after a frustrating year so far, and he will need wingers who can create high-quality chances for him in order to do that.

Balikwisha missed 29 matches with muscle injuries during the 2024/25 campaign, which limited his game time, but the 24-year-old talent still caught the eye with some impressive performances.

The Belgian whiz was described as a “creative” talent by analyst Will Glavin and his underlying numbers in the Pro League last season support that claim, as he scored four goals and provided three assists in 12 starts for Royal Antwerp.

As you can see in the table above, Balikwisha ranked highly among his positional peers in the Pro League in a host of key possession-based and creative metrics.

These statistics suggest that he has the potential to be a highly influential performer for Rodgers as a creative threat on the left flank if he can stay fit and start regularly, as he is able to create high-quality chances on a regular basis for his teammates.

That is also why Balikwisha could help to revive Yamada next season because he has the creative quality to provide the striker with enough opportunities for him to get back on the goal trail.

Whilst it will still be down to the Japanese striker to finish those chances, by the law of average, the more chances that are created for the forward the more likely he is to start scoring goals on a regular basis again.