Former German international has high praise for Wolves defender
Former German international Andreas Beck admits he is not surprised to see Emmanuel Agbadou flourishing at Wolves after playing with the defender earlier in his career.
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Beck who played in Germany and Turkey in his top flight career, ended his playing days at Belgian side Eupen from 2019-2022.
It was there that he played with Agbadou, who joined Eupen in his first foray into European football in 2020.
The Ivory Coast international went on to join French side Reims in 2022 before making a £16.6million move to Wolves in January.
He has impressed at the heart of Wolves' defence and Beck insists he expected Agbadou to play at the highest level - but that the player needed his Eupen experience to realise his potential.
“Agbadou is the kind of player who came to the Belgian league as a raw talent," Beck said via RG.
"If he came to the Bundesliga at that age, he wouldn’t make it because you have to be more structured.
"You could see that he had so much quality and talent, but he wasn’t as technically and tactically skilled as he is today.
"He needed to go to an intermediate league like Belgium in order to compete, to adjust to the cold winters, and to be moulded by the pressure.
"Similarly to my former Hoffenheim team-mate Roberto Firmino, he needed this first year for his talents to shine through, to play up to his strengths and reduce these mistakes.
"After 1-2 years, I was saying that Agbadou has to go to the Bundesliga. He then went to a stepping-stone club in France, and now he’s in the best league in the world.”
Agbadou is now on the cusp of success with his national team as Ivory Coast moved a step closer to qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
On Friday they beat Burundi 1-0, with Agbadou starting the game on the left side of a back three, playing 65 minutes.
They then beat Gambia by the same scoreline on Monday, with Agbadou coming off the bench in the 81st minute.
Those two wins have left Ivory Coast top of Group F with five wins and one draw from their six qualifying matches so far.
"I want to help my team to qualify for the World Cup, because it’s been a long time that Ivory Coast didn't play in the World Cup," Agbadou said.
“This is a big target for Ivory Coast – for the whole nation, who we play for also, so my feelings are when I play, I will give 1,000 per cent. It’s impossible for me to give any more.”
