There’s a new face in town for our assault on the top-flight – and he goes by the name of Issa Kaboré.
A right-sided defender, Kaboré arrives on a season-long loan from reigning Premier League champions Manchester City.
Only 22, the Town’s latest addition has already won 28 caps for his native Burkina Faso, and spent last season on-loan at Ligue 1 Marseille, playing in the Champions League four times.
Having secured his services, Hatters boss Rob Edwards said: “This is a really exciting signing and a big coup for the club, so I’d like to thank everyone involved for getting it over the line.
“We’ve had a lot of good feedback from the people we know at Manchester City, they really like him, and we think he’s someone who’s now more than ready for Premier League football; he’s had really good challenges in the top division in France so now is the right time.
“His attributes will help us. He’s an athlete and I think he’ll suit the way we want to play. He comes with a good level of experience and played 29 times in all competitions last year for a team that finished third in France, so we’re very excited.”
Kaboré’s story so far
Born in Bobo-Dioulasso – the second largest city in Burkina Faso – Issa moved to Belgium and signed for Mechelen in 2019 and within a year he was on the move to Manchester, signing for city as a 19-year-old.
He returned to Mechelen to play in the Belgian top flight in 2020/21, making 27 appearances, and the following season he signed for French outfit Troyes, where he featured 31 times in the French top flight.
His performances caught the eye of Marseille, where he played 22 times in Ligue 1, scoring in their 2-2 draw against Strasbourg and also featured in four of OM’s Champions League group stage ties.
On the international front, Issa won his first cap for Burkina Faso aged just 19, and has since gone on to feature 28 times for his country, scoring twice. His performances for the Stallions in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations saw him named Best Young Player at the tournament as his side reached the semi-finals.
Welcome to Luton Town, Issa.