Kolo Toure leaving Manchester City should immediately put Celtic supporters on alert. This is no longer just a popular former player or familiar face from Brendan Rodgers’ old coaching staff.
Toure now leaves the club after being promoted into Guardiola’s senior staff, and that changes the conversation entirely.
Celtic would be foolish not to at least consider whether there is a place for him back at the club.
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Kolo Toure has built his coaching reputation at Celtic & Man City
The difficult spell at Wigan once cast serious doubt over Toure’s future as a coach. His short-lived managerial stint was chaotic and unsuccessful, and many simply assumed he was not ready for senior football.
What has happened since tells a very different story.
Manchester City trusted him enough to work inside one of the most demanding football environments in Europe. He progressed through the academy setup before being handed a senior coaching role under Pep Guardiola.
Toure also became one of the staff members officially leaving Manchester City following the end of the Guardiola era.
Toure also had a successful spell in Celtic’s coaching staff under Brendan Rodgers during the Invincible Treble campaign in 2017.
Manchester City experience changes the Celtic discussion
Celtic supporters already know the personality Toure would bring. His previous spell at the club made him hugely popular, while his work alongside Rodgers at both Celtic and Leicester showed the trust placed in him over several years.
Now there is far more substance behind the profile.
Toure has worked inside an environment built around elite standards, tactical detail and player development. Manchester City staff have also publicly spoken about the positivity and energy he brought to the coaching setup.
This is why Celtic should seriously think about the possibility if the opportunity ever becomes realistic.
This would not be a sentimental move from Celtic. It would be a football decision backed by elite-level coaching experience.
It would be a club considering a coach who has spent recent years learning inside one of football’s highest-level operations.
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