Wrexham fans were treated to an exciting showing as Issa Kabore made a huge impact on his debut against Norwich City.
Phil Parkinson made big decisions against Norwich City – and they fired Wrexham to a brilliant victory at Carrow Road.
Josh Windass was the hero of the day, scoring twice in Wrexham’s 3-2 victory, while Ryan Longman also found the net.
Longman and Windass were named in a Championship ‘Team of the Day’, but Issa Kabore would have deserved an inclusion as well.
- READ MORE: New Wrexham signing has already shown exactly why Phil Parkinson struck late transfer deal
Phil Parkinson on Issa Kabore’s Wrexham debut
Kabore joined Wrexham on transfer deadline day, but he headed straight off on international duty with Burkina Faso.
After two games with his country and a lengthy flight home, Kabore was left on the bench in Wrexham’s 3-1 defeat to Queens Park Rangers.
Parkinson decided to throw Kabore into action against Norwich, and his decision paid dividends.
Kabore bagged two assists in a fantastic debut display for Wrexham, picking out Windass and Longman with a pair of fine crosses from the right flank.
Showing the pace to get in behind defences is one thing, but it’s another to have the quality to find a teammate to score.
Parkinson has told The Athletic that he just hopes Pep Guardiola doesn’t watch a video of Wrexham’s win over Norwich.
Parkinson joked that Guardiola might want to recall Kabore if he sees just how impressive he was against Norwich, having contributed both going forward and defensively.
The Wrexham boss added that Kabore was ‘off the scale’ in terms of his sprint distances, leading to Wrexham medical staff urging Parkinson to take him off the pitch.
“What can I say about Issy?” said Parkinson. “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.
“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 (Guardiola) doesn’t get a video of the game as he might want him back!” he added.
Issa Kabore should be interested in permanent Wrexham move
Look, it’s early days. Kabore has played just once for Wrexham, and he must produce these displays on a consistent basis.
Ultimately, Kabore should be looking to use this loan spell to land a permanent move away from City.
Impressing Pep Guardiola with a view to first-team action at City is a big ask, and the 24-year-old is now in his seventh loan move away from the Etihad Stadium.
Come the end of the season, Kabore will be 25. The time has come for him to settle down, having been loaned out ever since joining City from Mechelen in 2020.
Why not Wrexham? Why not settle down in North Wales and play a part in one of the most exciting projects in the game?
Parkinson is clearly a big fan of Kabore, and if he can continue to shine over the course of a long Championship season, a permanent stay at Wrexham should be in his mind.