In a wide-ranging interview, Emmanuel Latte Lath explains that he scored within three minutes of his Bundesliga debut for Union Berlin, but his route there included a difficult spell at Atlanta. He now credits a mental coach, and recalls the calm influence of Michael Carrick at Middlesbrough. According to Skysports.com.
Latte Lath’s Bundesliga fresh start follows a tough spell at Atlanta
The goal that marked his arrival in the Bundesliga was a simple header against Eintracht Frankfurt, scored within three minutes of his Union Berlin debut. At 27, it was his first appearance in a major European league, and Latte Lath says it felt “like an explosion, the emotion that I had inside”. It capped a career that had stalled.
The difficulty centred on his move from Middlesbrough to Major League Soccer club Atlanta last year, a transfer worth £22.5m. Latte Lath says the size of the expectation made it hard, and he scored 11 goals in 48 games, a return that fell short of what everyone, himself included, had hoped.
Latte Lath admits he wanted to show why he had been signed, and that it did not work. Asked about regrets, he stresses remembering why you started and says people around you shape decisions; his advice to his younger self is to make more of his own. A happier memory was playing against Lionel Messi, whom he even managed to touch.
His journey began in Cote d’Ivoire before he moved to Italy at eight. He started out at Atalanta, then had a number of loans, most notably at Swiss club St Gallen, where he scored 14 top-flight goals. At Middlesbrough he flourished, with 16 goals in his debut Championship season, and he calls Boro a family club that replaced the one he left in Italy.
All 29 of his Middlesbrough goals came with Michael Carrick in charge, and Latte Lath describes him as a calm coach who observes everything and tries to bring out the best in a player. Asked how Carrick will cope with his difficult spell at Manchester United, he recalls that Carrick “never screamed like crazy” in hard moments, instead analysing the situation and talking with players.
Away from the pitch, Latte Lath works with a mental coach, though he says he did not trust the idea at first. The sessions are conversation about understanding what he needs, and they help in life as a new father too. He admits the past year was hard going but says he has learned never to give up.
At Union Berlin everything is new, from the coach to the system, and he describes the Bundesliga as intense, with little time to rest. He has already faced Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund this season. Asked about Harry Kane, he says defeats are unwelcome but football is a journey for learning, and he wants to become a leader.
