Blackpool striker Kylian Kouassi is set for a move to Motherwell before the end of the transfer window, as reported by Pete O’Rourke on the social media platform X.
The 21-year-old has not featured for the Tangerines this season, and despite the uncertainty over the club’s manager, it’s widely believed they’re still going to allow him to leave on loan. Scottish Premier League side Motherwell are said to be circling, offering the youngster some permanent football.
He’s down the pecking order at Bloomfield Road, with 34-year-old Jordan Rhodes joining in the summer. Rhodes has been involved in the opening fixtures along with Dan Ballard, Kyle Joseph and former Watford man Ashley Fletcher, but there’s been no place for Kouassi.
He exploded onto the Blackpool scene last season, scoring on his debut in the EFL Trophy, and scoring on his League One debut a fortnight later. He smashed three past Liverpool Under 21s in October, but despite nine starts in the league, and a further ten outings as a sub, he didn’t score again. His last start came in February, and his exclusion from the team coincided, rather unluckily, with Blackpool’s late surge to the play-offs.
Kouassi is a former Sutton United trainee, coming through the youth ranks at Gander Green Lane. He had loan spells with Bedfont Sports, Hampton and Richmond and Chesham before stepping into the Sutton first team, playing 42 times in League Two in 2023/24, scoring four times. That form prompted Blackpool tom offer him a deal when his contract ended in London.
Motherwell finished ninth in the SPFL last season, a position they occupy in the early 2024/25 table. A defeat at Rangers and a draw with Ross County has already marked them out for a potential season of struggle, and they clearly see Kouassi as a player who can add value to their strike force. Currently, former Wimbledon man Zack Robinson leads the line for the Steelmen, backed by Lennon Miller and Ewan Miller.
Writer’s View
It’s a reflection on the lower echelons of the SPFL that a side fighting potentially for a place in Europe will find value in a player struggling to get a game in a League One outfit – not a very good one at that. Blackpool are in disarray at present, and if Kouassi isn’t going to be involved, it will be a welcome break for him to get out and play some football.
Motherwell look like strugglers this season in a division which has a familar look – while the top two are almost set in stone, those dropping out of the top flight often come straight back, reflecting again on the quality in the Scottish Championship.
However, if that quality really is signifcantly lower, it is a great place for a young player to go out on loan – Hearts, Hibs, Rangers and Celtic are big clubs offering a good stage to play on, while the likes of Ross County, St Mirren and Kilmarnock are the sort of teams, perhaps, Kouassi can express himself against.
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