Some Celtic fans would be happy to see 21-year-old midfielder Eboue Kouassi leave and will not have any qualms about it.
The defensive midfielder is yet to make a single first-team appearance for the Hoops this season, having fallen out of favour at the Celtic Park.
Reports from FootballInsider have stated that the Ivory Coast man has asked his agent to find a new club for himself and is desperate to leave in search of more first-team football. They also state that Kouassi would be happy with a loan move away from Celtic too.
Read Celtic posted about it on their Twitter account and some Celtic fans would apparently not be disappointed at the prospect of losing the midfielder as they would be happy to see him leave.
| Eboue Kouassi has reportedly informed his agent of his desire to leave #CelticFC in January.
Do you think we should let him go?
https://t.co/OZS0oCWddU pic.twitter.com/r6T1ZETBYc
— Read Celtic (@ReadCeltic) November 17, 2019
If there is any truth in it then ta ta
He wouldn’t be missed— Martin McLaughlin (@thebigcup67) November 17, 2019
Did he ever really arrive? Unlucky with injuries for sure but not 100% confident of his commitment to return from them. Potentially immature saying he was fit to return when he wasn’t causing breakdowns. I don’t know any of this just wondering. See no issue with him going
— FootballPurist (@AllDoTheHuddle) November 17, 2019
Don’t understand why he was never sent on loan for game time.Just move him on we can’t win them all.
— Gary (@esoxgaz) November 17, 2019
Yes. Never been impressed by him. Rash in the tackle and careless and sloppy in his passing.
— Mark Cosmo McAuley (@MarkMcAuley3) November 17, 2019
Celtic signed the Ivoarian from Krasnodar in the January of 2017 – when the midfielder was only 19. He had signed a four-year deal and had arrived for an undisclosed fee.
In the 2017-18 campaign at the club, Kouassi had played only six times in the Scottish Premiership. In all competitions, the midfielder had made 12 appearances and had a tally of just one assist.
Last season, he had played only twice in the Premiership – playing only 88 minutes of first-team football. In all competitions, he had featured only five times.
Before arriving at Celtic, Kouassi had been a regular for Krasnodar in the first half of the 2016-17 campaign. He had played nine times in the Russian Premier League, playing six times in the Europa League for the club. He had scored once, assisting twice.
Some Celtic fans feel that the player should get a loan move instead of a permanent move away from Glasgow.
There is potential in this lad, but very injury prone. Looked good in the holding role, loan in January, see how he gets on…. He could be long term successor to Broony.
— David Rowe (@DavidRo01908266) November 17, 2019
Should just let him go out on loan to another team up here same way Morgan see how they get on send them to Aberdeen or hibs
— Richard mcculloch (@Richardmccull10) November 17, 2019
During his time at Krasnodar, Kouassi was close to playing first-team football for the Ivory Coast national team too. He was on the bench for three games before the start of the FIFA World Cup.
What do we think?
Celtic currently have enough cover in midfield, even when the European campaign is already up and running. The midfield options are Scott Brown, Nir Bitton, Olivier Ntcham and Callum McGregor. Brown and McGregor are the preferred choices in Neil Lennon’s 4-2-3-1 shape, with Ryan Christie having played in a deeper role against Lazio.
This shows that Lennon doesn’t really trust Kouassi. At 21, he needs regular football to develop. Perhaps, he needs a loan move in January.