Pep Guardiola told he may regret Man City transfer decision as forgotten star shines

Issa Kabore is yet to make a senior appearance for Manchester City but has hit the ground running on his debut during his season-long loan at Wrexham in the Championship

Pep Guardiola has received a warning about a player it’s suggested he might fancy bringing back to Manchester City. Full-back Issa Kabore is currently on a season-long loan away from City with Championship outfit Wrexham.

Despite never featuring in a senior match under Guardiola since his 2020 arrival, the 24-year-old has made a flying start with the Welsh side owned by Hollywood A-listers Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac. Kabore made his bow for Wrexham on Saturday, getting the nod at right wing-back as they made the trip to take on Norwich City.

The Burkina Faso international made an immediate impression, providing two assists for the Red Dragons as they defeated the Canaries 3-2. The victory lifted Wrexham up to 15th position in the second tier following a rocky start to their season, which saw rumours sparked and subsequently dismissed regarding manager Phil Parkinson’s future.

The ex-Bolton boss has now playfully expressed worries that City boss Guardiola – who isn’t blessed for options in the right-back position – might be tempted to bring Kabore back following his outstanding showing against Norwich.

Speaking to The Athletic, Parkinson said: “What can I say about Issy? The medical team were behind me and saying, ‘His sprint distances are completely off the scale, can we get him off?’ But he was doing such a good job defensively.

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“For us, we have had very attack-minded wing-backs in recent years. He is that. But we also needed someone with a defensive mindset as well.

“In one-v-one situations against a really good player in [Papa] Diallo, he had to stick to his task. I just hope Pep doesn’t get a video of the game as he might want him back.”

The likelihood of a recall remains slim in reality, with Kabore spending the majority of his City career out on loan. He previously turned out for Luton in the Premier League during the 2023/24 season following their rise to the top flight.

He flattered to deceive during a temporary move to Benfica last year, though he showed greater promise in the latter half of the campaign at Werder Bremen. Several clubs were reportedly keen on securing Kabore’s signature in the final stages of the summer transfer window.

Ipswich and Leicester were amongst the Championship sides who made approaches, alongside Bundesliga outfit Hamburg and French club Paris FC. However, it was Wrexham who eventually landed his services on deadline day and are now benefiting from their shrewd business.

Another individual left impressed by Kabore’s display was Wrexham forward Josh Windass, who netted twice against Norwich.

“The lads who have just joined were outstanding and the whole team were, so it wasn’t really down to me,” he said. “Kabore was a threat all day and Sheafy (Ben Sheaf) in the middle and big Dom [Hyam] at the back [did well too]. I thought everyone was outstanding.”

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