Arouna Kone was an absolute wild card of a purchase when Roberto Martinez plucked him from Levante this summer, but if the Latics are to beat the drop this term, the Ivorian will have a massive part to play.
At one point, Kone and his patented bleached barnet once had a list of Europe’s top clubs chasing his signature following his performances for PSV in 2007. Although since then, luck has been far from kind for the 29-year-old, with his time at Sevilla devastated by a string of successive injuries. But since moving to the DW Stadium, he looks like a player reborn, replicating the good work he produced for Levante last term.
With six goals already, Kone looks well on his way to hitting double figures for the season, which considering his €3.5million price tag, would prove an inspired bit of business.
