DUBAI // Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers is confident imminent new signing Kouassi Eboue can immediately vie for a place in the Glasgow club’s first team.
The runaway Scottish Premiership leaders, currently in Dubai for some warm-weather training as the league breaks for almost four weeks, are close to finalising a deal to bring the Ivorian from Krasnodar, the Russian Premier League side.
Celtic are waiting on a work permit being granted, although Eboue has travelled with the squad to the Emirates. The 19-year-old midfielder, who made 18 appearances for Krasnodar this season, was called up to the Ivory Coast national team for the first time in November, but is yet to make his international debut.
Celtic anticipate the reported £2.8 million (Dh12.5m) transfer could be confirmed within the next 24 hours, with Rodgers certain the club have signed not only an exciting prospect, but someone who can compete right away for a first-team spot.
“It’s not complete yet, but hopefully will be very soon,” Rodgers said. “Eboue can come into the team now, he’ll just need a little bit of time to adapt. But I took him at 19 as one who will come straight into the first-team squad and who will come in and show he has the qualities to play.”
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Predominantly a defensive midfielder, Rodgers has been attracted by Eboue’s versatility, yet a place alongside captain Scott Brown at the base of the Celtic midfield remains his most obvious role. Eboue joined Krasnodar in 2014 from Armenia’s Shirak and has impressed in Russia to such an extent that he was linked with a number clubs, including Monaco.
“Firstly, he plays with intensity, he’s aggressive, he presses the game well, has a good tactical understanding for a young player and he’s technically very strong,” Rodgers said. “And he’s got big potential to improve.”
Eboue would represent Celtic’s first acquisition of the January transfer window, with the club seeking to bolster the squad further this month. The Scottish champions are 19 points clear at the top of the Premiership having taken 58 points from a possible 60 and therefore seem certain of a sixth successive top-flight title. However, they already have one eye on the beginning of another Uefa Champions League campaign this summer.
“This window takes on a great deal of importance for Scottish football and Celtic because you’re looking to try to prepare for European football since you’re so fast into qualification,” insisted Rodgers, who said there is the possibility of strengthening a number of areas in the squad.
“So if you can get the players in in January to adapt then great. But if they don’t come in, OK, we’ll wait until the summer.”
Key to Celtic’s progress is Moussa Dembele, the young striker who has been a huge success since joining the club in June. The Frenchman, 20, has struck 19 times in 36 appearances for the Parkhead side and was subject to interest this month from West Ham United. The Premier League club are understood to value Dembele at around £20m — someway short of Celtic’s evaluation. They signed the forward from Fulham for approximately £500,000.
“I won’t need to lose a player that I don’t want to lose,” Rodgers said. “Moussa’s been in the door only six months and he’s developed as we thought he would. For now I’m happy with that. There’s going to be players who leave this window, because they want to play football and I respect that.”
Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane is an admirer of Dembele, saying in October that he was not surprised by his compatriot’s recent rise. However, the French World Cup winner also said Dembele should remain at Celtic for the foreseeable future, something Rodgers seems keen to happen.
“It’s great for Moussa and it’s also great for Celtic that there’s a player of that quality on the radar of someone like Zidane,” he said. “It doesn’t really affect us. It’s something for you guys in the media to speculate about, but for me it’s just about getting on with the development of talents.”
Asked how long he could envisage Dembele staying at Celtic, Rodgers replied: “You can’t put a time on it. He’s a big talent, he’s only 20.”
jmcauley@thenational.ae
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