Celtic midfielder Eboue Kouassi was linked with a move away from the Scottish Premiership in January but eventually stayed at Parkhead.
Big things were expected of Eboue Kouassi when he joined Celtic from Krasnodar over a year ago.
The Scottish Premiership champions paid £2.8 million for the Ivorian midfielder according to the Daily Record, and it is fair to say Brendan Rodgers is not a bad judge of young talent.
12 months after moving to Parkhead, however, and the jury is still out on Kouassi. At times, the tenacious midfielder simply has not looked up to scratch alongside more polished, experienced midfielders and it is telling that he made only his 13th appearance for the club on Saturday.
And a 1-0 defeat to Kilmarnock, in which Celtic produced arguably their worst domestic performance of Rodgers’ reign, did little to stake Kouassi’s claim for a more regular role in the side.
Although the 20-year-old is still hopeful that he can develop into a more frequent fixture in the starting XI.
“I hope to play more,” Kouassi, who has featured four times for Celtic since the winter break, told Celtic TV. “I want to stay focused, work hard and wait for my chance.
“I know it’s difficult, but I have to wait for my chance.I want to work hard and we’ll see for the next six months.”
As reported by the Scottish Sun, a number of European clubs had hoped to sign Kouassi on loan in January, including Werder Bremen and Standard Liege. And, if he remains on the periphery of Celtic’s team, it will be interesting to see how receptive the Hoops are to offers over the summer.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
