The epilogue seems close in the Ibrahim Karamoko case. Portrait of the man who should be Standard’s first winter transfer.
Virton supporters must have looked strange when they learned of the imminent arrival of Ibrahim Karamoko as defensive reinforcement for the Standard. This is because the French player is not his first experience in Belgium: he played in Gaume three years ago…as a midfielder and even as an attacker.
Karamoko did not make an impression on Excel. The Parisian had only won two tenures under the orders of Christophe Grégoire, then Pablo Correa. It must be said that he was only 20 years old at the time. Having passed through Chievo Verona at a very young age (with whom he had a start in Serie A at the end of the 2018/2019 season), he was above all a player for the Primavera (the hopeful team) in the Boot.
After his stay on loan at Virton, Karamoko joined Guingamp, where he also played with the reserves. He then has to go through technical unemployment before joining FC Versailles, in the French third division, the club to which he still officially belongs at the time of writing these lines.
Last summer, Versailles had already supplied Mondy Prunier to Charleroi (who subsequently loaned him to the Francs Borains). As part of the very close arrival ofIbrahim Karamoko at Standard, we contacted Téo Decker, who worked at the club as a recruiter and video analyst from 2022 until last June, working alongside the player for a season.
“He’s a really good player. He’s a versatile player, he started his career as a number ten. Little by little he moved back to the number six position. With us, he also played at the back, he can playing in a three-way defense” he describes it, which fits perfectly with Ivan Leko’s system.
Not a finished product
“He is a player who has a high volume of play, he is always one of those who run the most if he is aligned in midfield. He is as much focused on the offensive as on the defensive aspect. He has more footballing and athletic qualities to play in the back, but tactically, he is more ready to play in a six. Athletically, he is a mass, he is very strong Technically, he is not a reliable player. he who will lead the team’s play, but it will never be the weak link” continues Teo Decker.
Karamoko, however, has a certain margin for improvement: “I think he must learn to be meaner in his game. With his muscular mass, he must win even more duels, be more decisive in set-piece situations, because he has good timing. He can move almost anyone, but he has to get into that state of mind Sometimes he has a little trouble, he comes across as too nonchalant. goes a little too easily and gets fooled on that. If he passes this level, he can really become a very interesting player.”
Ibrahim Karamoko’s opening score, in the 27th minute of this match ✨!
What a volley, what reactivity from the 23-year-old central defender! ???? pic.twitter.com/5wtuThShKu
— ℒ???? ????????????????ℴ????????????ℯ̀????ℯ (@LaQuatorzieme) https://twitter.com/LaQuatorzieme/status/1839370197934968851?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Ivan Leko could be the perfect coach to move him when necessary and bring his rigor to him. Especially since the boy is asking. Behind his apparent nonchalance during matches, he is described as someone who is hardworking, respectful and listens to the advice given.
One episode particularly illustrates this. In November 2023, Ibrahim Karamoko is one of the 60 players sanctioned by the LFP (the Professional Football League) for having violates the rules on banning sports betting. An ordeal from which he emerged stronger: “After his suspension, he really gained momentum at the end of the year, before becoming an almost indisputable starter for the team.”
An increase in power which allows it to reach a level with this transfer into the air at Standard. The next few months will allow us to see if the step is not too high, but the ingredients are in any case present to make it one of the good deals (the price mentioned is around 150,000 euros) of this transfer window.
