Geez
17-08-2007, 10:32 AM
Source: Official Site
French Under-21 defender Younes Kaboul has taken no time at all to settle into his new life in England.
It can never be easy for a 21-year-old arriving in a new country to find himself thrust into the spotlight as one of the most highly-rated young defenders in Europe. Many would have to take time to come to terms with the situation, and some would even become daunted by the prospect of living up to expectations.
But from the moment Younes Kaboul bounced into our Spurs Lodge training ground for the first time in early July, it has been almost impossible to wipe the glowing smile off of his face. Even a kick in the teeth during the first match of our tour to South Africa couldn’t dampen his spirits!
The summer signing from Auxerre arrives in England with high praise from all those who have crossed paths with him, but this has not even come close to fazing the France Under-21 captain. The larger-than-life character has taken to his new home like a duck to water – and everybody at the club has certainly taken to him.
His English is improving with every day, but even if his eagerness to learn the lingo wasn’t so great, it wouldn’t be a major problem at Spurs. The multi-cultural squad Martin Jol is building has more than enough French speakers within its ranks to coax big Younes through the early days of his new life in England. But this is only one of the reasons why he has settled at the club with such ease.
Unfortunately injured on his full home debut against Everton on Tuesday, Younes reflected: “I’m happy to be here and I was made to feel welcome from the moment I arrived at the club. The people here have been great with me. Of course, it helps to have so many French speakers around, like Didier, Pascal, Adel and Teemu - but I like everything about the place.
“England’s a very good country. It does rain a little bit, but it’s not a big problem! I really like the way of life here.
“Off the pitch, I like going shopping and playing on my Playstation – and I like to sleep as well! I’ve found all the shops in London I like, so this city has everything a person could need.”
To make life even easier for Kaboul, the way the team has been playing during the close-season has certainly been filling him with confidence. During our run of seven friendlies - all of them ending in a win - the side have played the same sort of attractive football we have become renowned for. This is exactly the type of game the Frenchman thrives on.
The 6ft-plus centre-back always looks the part as he strolls out of defence with the ball at his feet, picking his passes with the confidence of a seasoned midfield player. The way things are looking, this is a player who will have no trouble getting to grips with the famous Spurs football philosophy.
He added: “This is a very good team we have here and I’ve made a lot of good friendships. People like Keano, JJ, and Michael Dawson are always talking to me and they know how I like to play. This is another thing that makes me so happy to be here.
“The coaching staff here have also been great. Martin and Chris are very good coaches and we’ve been working hard. But now it’s up to me to show them what I can do on the pitch.”
Expectation levels in general are naturally high around the club on the back of two successive top five Premiership finishes. But again, Kaboul refuses to feel any pressure. If he does, it will only be the pressure he puts on himself to perform to the highest level every week, and further improve his chances of making the step up to the senior French national squad. This is why he is relishing the biggest games our league has to throw at him.
He continued: “I’m looking forward to playing against the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United because they’re very good teams with great stadiums. Playing against teams like this is why I came to England.
“If I play as well as I can with Spurs, then there is no reason why I cannot improve my chances of playing for the French national team.”
http://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/images/articles/5597-11.jpg
I expect great things from this guy - hope he's back soon.
BTW the Club's title for the above article was Knowing Us, Knowing Younes! :roll:
French Under-21 defender Younes Kaboul has taken no time at all to settle into his new life in England.
It can never be easy for a 21-year-old arriving in a new country to find himself thrust into the spotlight as one of the most highly-rated young defenders in Europe. Many would have to take time to come to terms with the situation, and some would even become daunted by the prospect of living up to expectations.
But from the moment Younes Kaboul bounced into our Spurs Lodge training ground for the first time in early July, it has been almost impossible to wipe the glowing smile off of his face. Even a kick in the teeth during the first match of our tour to South Africa couldn’t dampen his spirits!
The summer signing from Auxerre arrives in England with high praise from all those who have crossed paths with him, but this has not even come close to fazing the France Under-21 captain. The larger-than-life character has taken to his new home like a duck to water – and everybody at the club has certainly taken to him.
His English is improving with every day, but even if his eagerness to learn the lingo wasn’t so great, it wouldn’t be a major problem at Spurs. The multi-cultural squad Martin Jol is building has more than enough French speakers within its ranks to coax big Younes through the early days of his new life in England. But this is only one of the reasons why he has settled at the club with such ease.
Unfortunately injured on his full home debut against Everton on Tuesday, Younes reflected: “I’m happy to be here and I was made to feel welcome from the moment I arrived at the club. The people here have been great with me. Of course, it helps to have so many French speakers around, like Didier, Pascal, Adel and Teemu - but I like everything about the place.
“England’s a very good country. It does rain a little bit, but it’s not a big problem! I really like the way of life here.
“Off the pitch, I like going shopping and playing on my Playstation – and I like to sleep as well! I’ve found all the shops in London I like, so this city has everything a person could need.”
To make life even easier for Kaboul, the way the team has been playing during the close-season has certainly been filling him with confidence. During our run of seven friendlies - all of them ending in a win - the side have played the same sort of attractive football we have become renowned for. This is exactly the type of game the Frenchman thrives on.
The 6ft-plus centre-back always looks the part as he strolls out of defence with the ball at his feet, picking his passes with the confidence of a seasoned midfield player. The way things are looking, this is a player who will have no trouble getting to grips with the famous Spurs football philosophy.
He added: “This is a very good team we have here and I’ve made a lot of good friendships. People like Keano, JJ, and Michael Dawson are always talking to me and they know how I like to play. This is another thing that makes me so happy to be here.
“The coaching staff here have also been great. Martin and Chris are very good coaches and we’ve been working hard. But now it’s up to me to show them what I can do on the pitch.”
Expectation levels in general are naturally high around the club on the back of two successive top five Premiership finishes. But again, Kaboul refuses to feel any pressure. If he does, it will only be the pressure he puts on himself to perform to the highest level every week, and further improve his chances of making the step up to the senior French national squad. This is why he is relishing the biggest games our league has to throw at him.
He continued: “I’m looking forward to playing against the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United because they’re very good teams with great stadiums. Playing against teams like this is why I came to England.
“If I play as well as I can with Spurs, then there is no reason why I cannot improve my chances of playing for the French national team.”
http://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/images/articles/5597-11.jpg
I expect great things from this guy - hope he's back soon.
BTW the Club's title for the above article was Knowing Us, Knowing Younes! :roll: