Phil Parkinson has heaped praise upon Issa Kabore after the Manchester City loanee impressed for the Red Dragons again as they continued their steady start to life in the Championship with a 1-1 draw with Derby County. The Wrexham boss was pleased with the way his new signings have settled into his squad and is beginning to see a level of consistency in their performances.
Points shared as Brereton Diaz stuns the Stok Cae Ras
Parkinson has taken heart from the way in which his Wrexham side are starting to demonstrate what they are capable of in the Championship. The Red Dragons have won two, drawn two and lost three of their first seven games in the league, picking up eight points and sitting 15th in the table.
Against Derby, the Red Dragons went ahead through a header from Lewis O’Brien in the 59th minute, before Chilean forward Ben Brereton Diaz scored a superb effort to level the game. While Parkinson would have hoped to take all three points, particularly at home at the Stok Cae Ras, he is proud of the way his side played and believes they are starting to show signs of improvement.
On his side’s recent performances, Parkison told the : "If you look at the run we've had, the Preston win, the Millwall win, we lost to QPR then we've won at Norwich and on Tuesday (against Reading) and drawn today, we're definitely seeing some consistency in our play.
"We're definitely learning as a team. The lads who have come up with us are learning about the demands of the Championship. We're all so disappointed we haven't won because the crowd were brilliant for us today.
"I've got to thank them for that because that atmosphere today was where we need it to make it an intimidating place for the opposition to play. I thought the crowd really played their part and I'd have loved to have rewarded them with a win."
AdvertisementGetty/GOALNew wing-back playing with real heart
Parkinson highlighted the display of Kabore as an example of one of many “great signings” made by the club’s Hollywood ownership of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, with the Burkina Faso international “brilliant again” and a star both going forward and in defence.
"It's his quality, but he fights for every ball, he gets back quickly, he's a good defender and that was a goal that will be up there with the contenders for one of the best goals in the Championship today,” Parkinson said. "He plays with a real heart and commitment. When we watched him, I really liked that about him. He runs back as quick as he goes forward. He's tenacious, he wants to win and he's a great signing for us."
Mechelen to Manchester, Marseille and Wales
Kabore, on loan from City, is yet to truly find a club to settle at. The 24-year-old began his professional career at Belgian Pro League club Mechelen, playing just five times for the first team before being snapped up by City and loaned back.
After a full season in Belgium, Kabore moved to City Football Group side Troyes where he then attracted the interest of Marseille, who he joined on loan for the 2022/23 season. After this spell in France, Kabore made his first appearance in the Premier League and was a bright spark in a Luton side that was eventually relegated.
Loans to Benfica and Werder Bremen followed, but the full-back only made 12 appearances in total across the whole season. In dire need of a fresh start, Kabore opted to move to Wrexham in the summer, hoping that Parkinson’s wing-back system would benefit his development the most. A decision which, so far, had paid off.
Getty/GOALBuilding towards the top flight
Kabore is still yet to make an appearance for Manchester City and he may look to make a permanent move away from the club in the summer, should prospects of game time remain scarce. Wrexham may end up being the home the wing-back needs in order to kick-start his career.
If Parkinson is to be believed and Wrexham are showing signs of genuine progress, then maybe Kabore would be tempted to remain in north Wales. The defender has 53 caps for Burkina Faso and experience of playing in Premier League, making him an ideal long-term option for the ambitious Wrexham. While promotion to the top flight of English football this season seems a little far off, adding more ‘great signings’ like Kabore to a strong squad may bring that dream even closer.
