The early tale of Celtic's two new wingers
- Published
Celtic's front three finally has a fresh feel to it.
Tunisia international Sebastian Tounekti made his debut on the left wing in Sunday's win against Kilmarnock after signing a five-year deal on deadline day, while Belgian Michel-Ange Balikwisha was on the right for his second appearance for Brendan Rodgers' side.
It's extremely early days to call or compare the new wingers, but if the dramatic victory in Ayrshire is of anything to go by, Tounekti looks a terrific signing.
The 23-year-old was a standout at a sticky and sodden Rugby Park and gave the Celtic support - when they eventually came in - something to sing about.
Most notably, he was keen for the ball and direct in his dribbling, with eight bursts forward with the ball at his feet attempted, in comparison to Balikwisha's one.
With over 62% accuracy on his charges, he touched the ball in Killie's box on 14 occasions before letting fly with four shots while Balikwisha didn't have a single touch in the Killie box or pop at goal.
In fact, Tounekti's 67 touches of the ball in his 88-minute debut was more than the 24-year-old Belgian managed in a rather anonymous 58 minutes against Kilmarnock and a difficult 65 minutes at Ibrox combined (65).
Whether Daizen Maeda continues through the middle or Kelechi Iheanacho starts up top, the striker should receive the service he craves through pacy Tounekti, who picked out six passes/crosses into the danger zone.
The debutant contested 11 duels against a disciplined Stuart Kettlewell side, winning six, while Balikwisha won one of his two.
Upon his signing, Rodgers said "exciting" Norway-born Tounekti would "make a big difference".
On Sunday afternoon in Kilmarnock, he did just that. Continue that encouraging start and he will swiftly become a Celtic star.
Sebastian Tounekti had 30 minutes more on the pitch and almost double the number of touches at Rugby Park as Michel-Ange Basikwisha, who had no possession inside the Killie box as the graphic below shows
