Eboue Kouassi

BRENDAN RODGERS is Celtic boss in name.

Scott Brown, Celtic boss by nature.

That’s how Eboue Kouassi sees it, with the Ivory Coast youngster looking at Hoops skipper Brown with nothing but respect.

Rodgers need not worry. Kouassi, 20, isn’t showing any lack of respect to his gaffer.

Kouassi simply sees Brown as Celtic’s driving force and someone he looks up to and admires as ‘the boss on the pitch’.

He said: “Scott Brown is a big guy, a main guy for Celtic.

“When he plays, I always look to how he plays because he has such a big mentality over the entire team. He is the leader.

“For me, he is the big boss in the team. He is our captain. The main boss is the gaffer, Scott is the other boss, the boss on the field.

“What did I think when I first met Scott Brown? I wouldn’t say I was scared of him, but I respected him right away.

“But I have sometimes kicked him in training!”

At that Kouassi burst out laughing.

But the midfielder is serious about the way Broony helped him through the dark days when he was injured last season.

Kouassi said: “When I didn’t play so much last season, Scott would talk to me about it.

“He told me “Don’t get angry. You are young, wait for your chance and work hard’.

“Every time he spoke to me he was great. He always had advice.

“Scott told me I could be a good player, but that I was still learning. I had to be patient and my chance would come.”

Kouassi has shown glimpses of the player he can become.

Quick and aggressive off the ball, he can also use it well when under pressure.

Rodgers, of course, isn’t short of midfielders, so it could be a longer wait for Kouassi to get the game time he craves.

But the youngster is eager to make an impact before the league season starts.

After coming on and impressing as a second-half sub in the 3-0 win against FC Alashkert, Kouassi is more optimistic too.

He said: “I hope this is the start for me. I want to have more responsibility in the team. We shall have to wait and see.

“Playing in such a big game does give me confidence. Every time I play I am very happy and want to prove myself.

“I want to show what I can do. But I have to wait for my chance to get into the team.

“As a team, we have a good mentality now and a good spirit, so this is why we will be better than last season.

“I want to play more. It hasn’t been time for me.

“All I can do is work hard and then do my best when the manager gives me my chance and show what I can.”

There’s a lot for Hoops fans to be encouraged by as Rodgers’ side evolves.

His back-three system worked well in Armenia, although there were one or two lapses in concentration.

The key to the formation, though, is that it frees up two spaces in attack.

Moussa Dembele and Odsonne Edouard looked stylish together in Armenia, the pair working in tandem like they had been a partnership for years.

Dembele has already made a name for himself.

But French Eddy, as his team-mates have nicknamed him, is growing into the £9million player that Celts invested in, and looks good value for money.

Kouassi said: “For me, Edouard is a huge talent.

“I would say he improves in every single game he plays in and he improves every day in training because he works so hard.

“All Edouard has to do is keep working hard and he will become one of the best players around.

“He is young, but he is very personable. There is pressure on him, but he deals with that well.

“Odsonne does not think about the transfer price or the big money.

“He just wants to play football and show everyone what a talent he is. He doesn’t get carried away.

“He is a good guy along with being a fantastic footballer. That is important for him.

“Odsonne and Moussa could be superb together. They are both big players. They can do many things for Celtic this season because they are special.

“The gaffer will decide if Moussa stays or goes. That is his decision.”

Celts all but booked their place in the next round of the Champions League qualifiers with their win over Alashkert.

Next week’s return leg is merely a formality, with Rodgers free to experiment with his side, which may be good news for Kouassi as he could start.

He added: “It feels good to have won the game the way we did. The players have only been back for three weeks, but pre-season has gone well.

“You could see that in the way we played.

“It’s a good scoreline for us. It was great to give us a good base and now we can look forward to the second leg.”

 

His attitude is absolutely superb. He's got ability but knows he plays in the captain's position.and instead of moaning he's focused on learning and developing. He'll be class here soon enough.

 

Big season for him, think we'll see a lot more from him.

 

Just read an article referring to him as a £3 million dud…

 

Theres a player in there withot a doubt and BR knows this

The kid needs game time and a REAL chance to highlight his attributes

unfortunately with broony and oli playing so well he may see limited opportunities in the first team, and with others clamoring for the arrival of the great green and white hope mcginn, we may see him punted out on loan

 

Rate this boy highly - just unlucky he's come at a time where we have so much quality in his position...

Think he should be involved in the McGinn transfer as a loan deal - 2m + Allan + Eboue on loan. Or get him to Aberdeen along with Christie again to help the sheep secure 2nd place for the 3rd season running.

Although McGinn coming to the club will put him even further down the pecking order.

 

I think Eboue's development has been held back mainly due to Brown's resurgence and Ntcham's progression last year. Every chance Eboue's had he has done well in my opinion but Ntcham and Brown formed a solid partnership last year that's made it hard for him to break through.

I wouldn't be against the idea of loaning him out although it would have to be to a Scottish team, guaranteed first team football, 6 month deal or 12 month with a recall clause.

 

He is a better player and has a higher ceiling than McGinn from what I have seen.

I really hope that Rodgers gives him the game time that he merits this year. He is wasting an exciting prospect.

 

Am I in the minority thinking we don't need McGinn when we have players like this already in the squad? His performance against Zenit showed to me hes a player.

 

Loan him out as he won’t get the game time. One of a number of good players who are wrong place wrong time. Christie, Allan, Liam Henderson when he was here, Eboue, Griffiths probably too.

All deserve to be loaned or sold for their own career as frankly Celtic are terrible at wasting talent.

 

Wasting talent in the sense that we often hold on to young players far too long without playing or even loaning them out. Those examples were just off my head there must be dozens of players who we’ve stalled. Eboue is still young but regardless of age needs to be playing regularly, same as Griffiths. I know he’s had injuries but even when fit Rodgers doesn’t seem to fancy him. He’d be a number one striker banging in the goals for most championship teams.

Fair enough not every promising kid will go on to be Ronaldo, but Henderson is a good example.
We basically did * all with him for years now he’s about to play Serie A, a far higher level than most of our players will ever perform at. How many others could have had that opportunity if we hadn’t squandered their potential? So, so many players seem to just sit in the reserves at Celtic and it’s gone on for years.

 

Good luck at Hibs big man

 

Henderson playing in Serie A means * all when he wasn’t anywhere near good enough to get on our bench never mind get a regular game.

Are we just supposed to play certain players so they don’t stall even though it’s * obvious they’ll never be good enough?

We loaned Henderson out twice. He was criticised at Rosenborg for his fitness and barely played in the league and wasn’t even a guaranteed starter for a Hibs team that finished 3rd in the Scottish Championship.

 

My point, quite clearly, was we don’t know if players are good enough when we don’t use them. Henderson from what I remember won the league in Norway aged only 18/19 and then won Hibs their first cup in about 200 years. If he was criticised for his fitness again that’s a slight on Celtic and Lennoxtown, not preparing or looking after our youngsters properly, which was kinda my original point....

Henderson is about to be a starting midfielder in a league vastly superior to ours, so how can you possibly say he wasn’t good enough for Celtic? He may have been good enough to get on our bench, indeed he didn’t look out of place against Inter Milan, but you don’t think he’d have thrived vs Ross County or Motherwell...

He was merely an example anyway. I’ve a bad feeling Eboue will be another we never gave enough time to, and he’ll go and thrive elsewhere or be a case of unfulfilled potential.

 

Because he isn’t good enough. Just because someone plays in a better league doesn’t automatically mean they’re better than every player playing in a lesser league. Bruno Alves was a regular in Serie A, I take it he’s better than Ajer, Boyata, Jozo...?

Gary Mackay-Steven didn’t look out of place against Inter Milan either. Van Dijk did though, so I take it Henderson and GMS are better than Van Dijk?

It’s a ridiculous argument.

 

Agree. FairPlay to Henderson, hope he does well and seems to be working out for him but he never stood out for us. Nice touch and a nice pass but very slow and never seemed to really make an impact in games. I actually think his brother Ewan has looked better in the games I've seen him in

 

Knew people would get carried away with Henderson. He’s still *. Would back Bitton to run the show in that league.