New Wigan boss Kolo Toure says his brother Yaya is “preparing well” in Tottenham’s youth academy and will make the jump into management when the time is right.
Former Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool and Ivory Coast defender Kolo, having been part of Brendan Rodgers’ coaching staff at Celtic and Leicester for the last five years, took charge of the Latics last week on a three-and-a-half-year contract for his first managerial role.
Younger brother Yaya was linked with the vacancy created by Leam Richardson’s sacking, with reports that he spoke to Wigan but decided he did not want to be considered for the job.
The 39-year-old midfielder, who left City in 2018 after eight seasons with the club and last played professionally in 2019 for Qingdao Huanghai, has been working with Spurs since late 2021 and was given a full-time position within their academy during the summer.
Kolo said: “Like a lot of other coaches, managers, I think his name was linked. I don’t know too much about it.
“He’s preparing his badges at the moment and then when the time will come…
“We spoke a little bit about it but he is focusing on his job right now with Tottenham.
“I’m sure he will have the opportunity. He is preparing himself very well there. It’s all about the process, prepare and then jump at the right time, when he feels ready.”
When asked why he thought it has taken so long for there to be an African manager in English football, Toure – whose first game as Wigan boss comes with the Championship strugglers facing Millwall away on Saturday – said: “I don’t know, honestly. It’s just about the timing, the opportunity.
“For me the opportunity came and I went for it. It could’ve been somebody else, it could’ve been Yaya.
“I’ve been in the country for 20 years and I think people know me in the country quite well. Maybe most of the African players, when they finished they went back to their country.
“I stayed here, that’s why maybe people know more about me, and I stayed in the game as well, working with Brendan Rodgers.”
Toure played under Arsene Wenger at Arsenal and Roberto Mancini at City before then completing his playing career with stints under Rodgers – the man he has described as his “mentor” – at Liverpool and Celtic and moving into coaching alongside the Northern Irishman.
And the 41-year-old said: “I take a little bit from each of them. Each of them has strengths, and then you pick.
“The one I’ve been working with on a coaching basis is Brendan Rodgers, and for me he is a top manager, very intelligent, very well organised, very disciplined and he makes his teams play great football.
“(Wenger and Mancini) are different (to each other). They manage people differently, but one thing I can assure you of is that they are top guys, and they are top pros, they want their players to be in the best condition every time they go out and play the games.”
