Wolves in the EFL: Remember Tongo Doumbia? Here’s what he’s up to nowadays | OneFootball

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Football League World

·15 October 2021

Wolves in the EFL: Remember Tongo Doumbia? Here’s what he’s up to nowadays

Article image:Wolves in the EFL: Remember Tongo Doumbia? Here’s what he’s up to nowadays

When Wolves appointed Ståle Solbakken as manager in 2012, it was supposed to signal the start of a new approach for the club.

After relegation from the Premier League, when the board inexplicably replaced Mick McCarthy with his assistant Terry Connor for the run-in, there was a desire to see something different.


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So, the current Norway boss came in, tasked with introducing a new style of play and freshening up the squad.

And, one of the big signings that summer was Tongo Doumbia, with the midfielder joining from Rennes. Having played in the French top-flight, this was seen as a coup for Wanderers, and some of his early displays outlined why.

Doumbia was technically assured in the way he moved with the ball, whilst he brought a physicality to the team that suggested he could thrive in the Championship.

But, a positive start was as good as it got. As the months went by, the player grew increasingly frustrating and couldn’t maintain the early levels he had shown.

Many Wolves fans will have tried to wipe what happened next from their memory, but Dean Saunders would replace Solbakken mid-season and the side suffered another relegation.

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Therefore, a summer switch always seemed inevitable for Doumbia, and he returned to Ligue 1 with Valenciennes on loan, before sealing a permanent switch to Toulouse a year later.

The Mali international would make 59 appearances over the next few years as Les Violets battled relegation, and he then linked with up with Croatian giants Dinamo Zagreb, where he didn’t always convince, although he did win a league title.

Nevertheless, Doumbia would be on the move again, with short, unsuccessful spells in the UAE with Al Ain and Ajman up next.

Now 32, the ex-Wolves man would play in the fifth country of his career when he signed for Aktobe, who play in the Kazakhstan Premier League, earlier this year, and he is still there now.

The fact Doumbia hasn’t managed to establish himself as a regular or deliver on his potential since leaving Wolves probably won’t come as a surprise to all those who saw him at Molineux.

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