Côte d'Ivoire: Puzzle for a number 10 among the Elephants

 Faé Emerse kept his word. A few weeks before the 2026 World Cup, the coach of the Elephants of Côte d'Ivoire no longer has time to dither. He puts all the chances on his side by looking for the best Ivorian players including Yann Gboho, currently on fire with Toulouse in the French Ligue 1.

In March, Fae had plans to bring in fresh blood

 "We have been in contact with him since 2022. Yann was already in the U23 project. He hadn’t had the opportunity to come because he had had athletic problems. His entourage contacted me. We would like to discuss this with the players vis‐à‐vis. I need to see what his real motivation is to join the Côte d'Ivoire project. I will go see him after the friendly matches," 

Faé promised on March 18, 2026 at a press conference in Abidjan. 

At the end of March, just after the victories against South Korea (4-0) and Scotland (1-0), his promise was realized. He met the attacking midfielder from Toulouse, who has made 27 matches, 8 goals and 2 assists this season. In the aftermath, Gboho visited the premises of the Côte d'Ivoire consulate in France on April 13, 2026, to begin the process of renewing his expired passport. A formality that opens the door to a new role under the orange shirt. 

A range of numbers 10
The Pachydermes want to rethink their midfield at the World Cup. It is clear that Emerse Faé will not get rid of his 30-year-olds at once (Séko Fofana, Jean-Michale Séri, Frank Kessié), but he wants more fluidity in the offensive phase. Séko is back in shape in Porto (Portugal), Séri plays a lot in Maribor (Slovenia) and Kessié has kept his activity with Al Ahly (Saudi Arabia). But the World Cup is a different level of demands. 

Rejuvenating the mid-game would guarantee more opportunities and depth for the Elephants. Yann Gboho with his moving game, made of surpassing oneself, can bring a new touch to Faé’s group. 

"For a little more than a year, Faé has been looking for a player capable of bringing vitality and verticality to the middle. Yann is an attacking midfielder. In modern football, this kind of player moves the game forward. He can play in the heart of the game but also on the wings and especially behind the forward he will feed into good balls. His profile is better than that of Parfait Guiagon from Charleroi, and Ahmed Traoré, the Marseillais. We are used to playing in 4-3-3. If we stay in this system, Gboho, if he has to be a starter, will play in front of a 6, which can be Sangaré or Kessié, and an 8, which can be Inao. He will bring the surplus in attack",

 analyzes Dago Charles, former striker of the Elephants. 

More creativity
The goal for Faé today is to focus more on technique in the middle than on absolute fighting spirit. International football, which is becoming increasingly technically demanding, requires midfielders to have a greater ability to steer the game, break lines and vary registers. The idea is to have, in the preferential 4-3-3 system, a balance player as a sentinel, and two other good ball handlers to achieve a more mobile and creative environment. 

Séko, Kessié, Séri or Sangaré, often associated, walk on each other’s feet. In several matches, they fell behind in the defensive withdrawal and showed too much slowness when it came to developing into a counter-attack. With an 8 like Inao and a 10 like Gboho, the transitions will be better ensured. 

"In the past, we played like this. It worked for us even without winning trophies. We played with Zokora in 6, Yaya in 8, and Yapi Yapo in 10. We were moving faster forward and the attackers Drogba, Kader, Gervinho or Kalou were fed faster and better in good balls",

 says Zoro Marc, former defender of Messine, Benfica and the national team. 

To date, the African champions from 1992, 2015 and 2023 have a fine roster of young midfielders between sentinels (Maho Dorgeles, Inao) and attacking midfielders (Traoré, Guiagon, Benie, etc.). The arrival of Gboho is a plus, certainly. A beautiful pickaxe, after that of Martial Godo and Elye Wahi recently. It remains to be seen if the life of the 25-year-old player will be as rosy for the Orange as it is for Toulouse.