Ouattara this world! Bournemouth’s new £20m signing Dango shines in 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest
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Ouattara this world! Bournemouth’s £20m new boy Dango barely speaks a word of English but gives Gary O’Neil’s Cherries a push during the draw with Nottingham Forest
- Dango Ouattara assisted Bournemouth’s goal in a 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest
- £20m new signing barely speaks English, but he lit up the game for Cherrries
- Chief Gary O’Neil warned not to expect too much from Ouattara too soon
Dango Ouattara. Remember the name. Bournemouth’s £20m new signing barely speaks a word of English, but he’s already speaking on the pitch.
Launched against a resurgent Nottingham Forest side after just one day of training, the 20-year-old Burkina Faso international shone on his Premier League debut.
The winger helped the Cherries end the rot after six straight defeats in all competitions, setting up Jaidon Anthony’s opener, and with a little more composure he would have scored a couple himself.
Dango Ouattara set up Bournemouth’s goal on his debut for the club after a £20m move
Bournemouth veteran Sam Surridge spoiled the party by returning to haunt his former club, scoring a late equalizer from the bench for Forest, who have now picked up 12 points from their last seven league games.
Despite the language barrier, there was certainly no breakdown in communication between Ouattara and his teammates. Defender Jordan Zemura said: ‘There is no English for him. To me? Not French! They are all hand gestures. All he knows is “post post”, and he says it all the time.
“When we scored, I don’t know what he told me, he said something in French. It sounded like “bon marche” but he was happy so I told him the same. When he first came in, we could see the talent that he had and the qualities that he displayed.’
Defender Jordan Zemura said he communicated with Ouattara on the field using hand signals.
Ouattara is the first addition of the Bill Foley era at Bournemouth and rose to fame with six goals and six assists in 18 games for Lorient in Ligue 1 this season.
Bournemouth manager Gary O’Neil said: “We need to be sensible with our expectations. He’s a 20-year-old who has never played for England. He’s a talent and I’m excited about what he can bring to the table.
‘But let’s improve it and don’t expect too much too soon. His English is limited. We have a couple French-speaking players who can interpret for him. As he’s making his debut… not having trained much, in a new country, with a group of players you’ve never met, he was a real bright spark.’
Gaffer Gary O’Neil warned against expecting too much too soon from his new boy Ouattara