Young Partick Thistle midfielder Tsoanelo Letsosa could be the best player in the Championship this season — as long as he remembers to bring his boots.
The 21-year-old former Celtic prospect has been a breath of fresh air, on and off the pitch, since moving to Firhill from Belgian club Lommel in the summer.
He has captured the imagination in all but one of his five appearances, the exception being a subdued display in the 5-1 defeat at McDiarmid Park on the opening day of the league season.
‘He played against St Johnstone,’ confirmed Thistle manager Mark Wilson. ‘And he’ll probably not like me telling this, but we thought something was off with him. He forgot his boots, so he had to wear the centre-half’s boots. So, a lesson learned.’
Not an ideal start, you might think, but Thistle will soon forget about that if the Lesotho-born player continues to be as bright and exciting as he has been since signing a two-year deal in the summer.
Letsosa scored on his debut against Queen of the South, won the penalty that earned Thistle a point against Morton and caught the eye in their Premier Sports Cup win against Ayr United yesterday.
Tsoanelo Letsosa lit up Partick Thistle’s Premier Sports Cup victory over Ayr United at Firhill
Thistle boss Mark Wilson says Letsosa’s quality will be hard to beat in the Championship
Dan O’Reilly celebrates scoring the opener in a 2-0 win that set up a quarter-final with Celtic
That 2-0 triumph at Firhill set up a quarter-final tie at home to Celtic, the club with whom Letsosa spent six years as an academy player after moving to Scotland with his family at a young age.
Capped by Scotland at youth level, Letsosa was highly-thought of at Celtic, but he rejected a new contract in 2023 and opted instead to further his career in the Belgian second division.
The idea was to play regular first-team football there, but he returned to Scotland in July and the hope is that Thistle can be the platform he has been waiting for.
While Dan O’Reilly and Logan Chalmers got the goals in a deserved victory against Ayr, it was the spark provided by Letsosa that many were talking about afterwards.
Quite apart from having two good feet, a quick turn of pace and an eye for goal, he has an infectious personality that is endearing him to his manager, his team-mates and the Thistle supporters.
‘He’s brilliant,’ said Wilson. ‘What a character. Have you ever got to speak to him as well? He lights up a room and he lights up a pitch with the way he moves with the ball.’
With his Celtic schooling, and his experience in Belgium, Letsosa has a good attitude to go with his natural ability.
‘He was terrific today,’ added Wilson. ‘You could see how much ground he covers and his data backs that up as well. But he’s got real quality. So, when he’s on top of his game, he’s going to be hard to better in this division.’
So far, Thistle’s league campaign has not gone to plan, but they have won all five of their games in a compelling Premier Sports Cup adventure. Letsosa and his team-mates have every reason to be excited about their sixth.
The departed Lennon Miller was not forgotten during Motherwell’s victory at McDiarmid Park
Savvy Steelmen show there’s life after Lennon
As Motherwell have proved time and again over the years, the departure of a top player need not be a debilitating blow.
Just as they dealt capably with the sale of David Turnbull to Celtic, so can they be expected to take Lennon Miller’s record-breaking £4.7million move to Udinese in their stride.
Selling players for a handy fee and rebuilding their team is nothing new to the Lanarkshire club, who understand and embrace where they stand in the football food chain.
As Miller prepares to make a potential debut for Udinese in tomorrow night’s Coppa Italia tie against Carrarese, manager Jens Berthel Askou and his remaining players have already moved on.
Together, they have a team ethic and playing style that is more important than any individual, as St Johnstone discovered to their cost in the Premier Sports Cup.
At McDiarmid Park, Motherwell passed, passed and passed again until it wore down their Championship opponents and bore fruit with an extra-time winner from Lukas Fadinger.
The deserved 1-0 victory set up a quarter-final tie away to Aberdeen and, perhaps more importantly, showed a vision that should serve them well in the Premiership.
Motherwell dominate the ball, have made some intriguing signings — playmaker Elijah Just is one to watch — and so far lack only the goals to show for their share of possession.
But that will surely come, especially if they sign a scorer between now and the end of the transfer window. They can’t say they don’t have the money.
