Niels Nkounkou’s former team-mate at Cardiff City, Cedric Kipre, believes that the treatment the 22-year-old received in Wales was unfair and he was right to join Saint-Etienne in January.
The French defender was sent out on loan to the Championship club last summer, but that agreement was ended in January to allow him to sign for Saint-Etienne.
Before leaving Cardiff, the full-back had found his chances limited, managing just one minute on the pitch in their final four league games.
Reflecting on their time together at Cardiff, Kipre insisted that the club’s treatment of the then Everton loanee was unfair.
Kipre believes that Nkounkou was right to leave Cardiff for Saint-Etienne and had been one of the best players in training for the Welsh side. Even so, he was stunned at how well Nkounkou quickly did back in France.
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At Cardiff, the treatment he received was quite unfair”, Kipre was quoted as saying by So Foot.
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When we changed coaches, he no longer played that much despite his good performances and he was one of the best in training.
“Leaving Cardiff was the best thing he could have done last season.
“But I’m not surprised by his comeback at Saint-Etienne, even if I was shocked that he was part of the team of the year.
“It’s still impressive, I’m proud of him!”
Nkoukou made a huge impact at Saint-Etienne, helping the side avoid relegation from Ligue 2 and they triggered an option to sign him from Everton on a permanent basis.
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