Kolo Toure has heaped praise on former Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers after being appointed as manager of Wigan Athletic. Toure, formerly of Arsenal and Man City, played under Rodgers at Liverpool and Celtic before joining him on his coaching staff in Glasgow. The former Ivory Coast Internationalist followed Rodgers to the English Premier League in February 2019, where he has remained until earlier this week.
Speaking after being unveiled as the new manager of The Latics, Toure listed a number of people involved with Leicester City before turning specifically to Rodgers.
“I would like to thank all of the fans, players and staff of Leicester City Football Club, Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, Susan Whelan, Jon Rudkin and of course Brendan Rodgers for making me feel so welcome for so many years.
“The experiences that I have amassed under Brendan Rodgers have been invaluable and I’m sure they will help me in this next chapter of my career.
“I am extremely proud to be named Manager of Wigan Athletic. Wigan Athletic is a big club with hugely passionate fans. Together, we can continue to make the right steps forward.
“I’m excited to work with this talented group of players and staff, and immensely look forward to my time ahead.”
Toure is the first African manager in senior English football. Toure is an infectious character, someone that will relish the challenge of motivating the Latics and pulling them away from the Championship trapdoor. Toure adopted a leadership role at Celtic, playing for one season before moving into Brendan Rodgers’ coaching staff.
Toure arrived at Celtic in the summer of 2016, having been released by Liverpool. The ex-Arsenal and Manchester United defender was vital in the early stages of Rodgers’ reign but it was clear he was there for cover as his playing days came to an end.
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