When Brendan Rogers brought Eboue Kouassi to Celtic in January 2017 there was a sense that the club had acquired the services of an emerging star.
Prior knowledge of his talent was limited but Rodgers’ gushing praise of the new recruit implied that the Hoops’ scouts had completed a rigorous mission and were quietly confident they’d secured a gem for the future.
There was one sentence in particular from Rodgers’ evaluation of his new signing that, three years later, stands out for all the wrong reasons: “I don’t think adaptation to the country is going to be a problem.”
If a sentence epitomised famous last words then the now Leicester City manager found it here. Only this was merely the beginning of a pattern of effusive, misguided and ultimately hyperbolic praise.
A year later the manager went on to claim the Ivorian was not only capable of being Scott Brown’s successor, but destined to step into the most brazen boots at Paradise.
“Eboue’s brilliant in training, he does everything, and longer term he will certainly fulfil that role when Scott moves on.”
With just 12 SPFL appearances to show from three years in the Scottish capital, the likelihood of him fulfilling Rodgers’ prophecy has never looked bleaker.
And now that Ismaila Soro is expected to complete a move to Celtic, though negotiations have hit a snag due to a dispute between his club and his representatives, per Daily Record, it’s safe to say the Kouassi ship has sailed.
Buried beneath Rodgers’ quotes and the sorry tale of wasted talent there is a pertinent message for Neil Lennon ahead of the mooted Soro deal.
Naturally supporters want to know the manager has confidence in the players at his disposal, but there is a tone to strike which combines realism with motivation.
The 21-year-old will arrive at Celtic with two years more experience than Kouassi had when he moved from Russia, but the imminent recruit boasts a similar profile to that which the £2.8m flop had upon his arrival in Scotland.
He is a defensive-minded central midfielder with a CV that contains Moldova, Belarus and Israel, countries which are culturally different from both a lifestyle and football perspective.
Soro will need time to settle, a manager to balance his expectations in the media – unlike Rodgers did with Kouassi – and a fanbase willing to be patient during what could be a tedious transition period.
The Hoops have already received one warning in the shape of Kouassi. It’s down to Lennon to ensure he uses this prescient warning from the past to ensure the same mistake isn’t repeated with Soro.