The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Kolo Toure renews link with Rodgers at Parkhead
Hoops sign former Liverpool defender on one-year contract
Celtic have completed the signing of Kolo Toure in a move that reunites the defender with his former Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers.
Toure, 35, joined Celtic on a one-year contract, it was announced yesterday.
Rodgers signed Toure for Liverpool in 2013, following the Ivory Coast player’s spells at Manchester City and Arsenal.
Rodgers said: “I brought Kolo into Liverpool to add that bit of experience and help to the centre-halves there at the time.
“You saw from his impact there, and in particular last season, he was a very important player for Jurgen Klopp towards the end of last season, playing in the Europa League final.
“He was outstanding in the big games for me when I was there. He looks after himself, he’s a wonderful professional and he has good experience.”
Rodgers added on Celtic’s website: “With a lot of young players in our squad he can really help them, and he can be of great assistance for the likes of Scott Brown, who is a wonderful leader. But he needs support and help around him as well. It will be nice for Scotty to have someone behind him who has that real big-game experience. “Kolo can do very well for us.” Toure told Celtic TV: “I feel really excited because it’s going to be a new challenge for me. I’ve come to one of the biggest clubs in the world and it’s a privilege for me to be here.
“I know a few friends who play football here and I know what the club has been achieving, winning a lot of trophies and playing Champions League a lot so that’s something I’m looking at.”
Meanwhile, Celtic lost a penalty shootout against Leicester in an International Champions Cup clash at Parkhead on Saturday.
Algerian midfielder Riyad Mahrez, linked with a move to Arsenal, opened the scoring at the start of the second half for the visitors with a wonderful curled shot before 20-year-old Irish defender Eoghan O’Connell levelled things up just before the hour mark.
A raft of second-half substitutions highlighted the friendly aspect of the encounter.
With no more goals it went to spotkicks, a rule of the competition.
Celtic’s Nadir Ciftci, Stefan Johansen, Scott Allan, O’Connell and Ryan Christie scored before James Forrest had his effort saved by Kasper Schmeichel.
Christian Fuchs, Marcin Wasilewski, Danny Drinkwater, Ben Chilwell and Shinji Okazaki had all scored for the Foxes before Daniel Amartey’s success with the sixth secured the win.
The visitors were not at full strength but had top players such as skipper Wes Morgan, Drinkwater and Mahrez in their starting line-up.
Brendan Rodgers tinkered with his defence, bringing in Saidy Janko and moving Mikael Lustig alongside the returning O’Connell, with Emilio Izaguirre also back in the side.