French Defender Agrees To Pen A Four-Year Contract With Barcelona: Decent Signing For Xavi? | OneFootball

In a recent report, Sport stated that Sevilla defender Jules Kounde has agreed to pen a four-year contract with Barcelona. It has been revealed that Barca are looking to finalise the French centre-back’s transfer in the coming week.

Kounde’s Good Run Of Form In Spanish Football

Kounde had a solid campaign at the Andalusian club as he put in several dominant displays for them on the defensive third of the pitch. The 23-year-old was involved in 44 matches for the Spanish club last season, finding the back of the net on three occasions and securing one assist across all competitions.

The French sensation was a dominant figure when defending inside his half after he averaged 1.3 tackles, 0.7 interceptions and 3.1 clearances per 90 minutes in La Liga football. He was even exceptional when distributing possession from the back, as evidenced by his pass success rate of 88.9% in the Spanish top tier (stats via whoscored).

Sevilla’s French defender Jules Kounde (R) controls the ball next to Atletico Madrid’s Belgian midfielder Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco during the Spanish league football match between Club Atletico de Madrid and Sevilla FC at the Wanda Metropolitano stadium in Madrid on May 15, 2022. (Photo by Jose Jordan / AFP) (Photo by JOSE JORDAN/AFP via Getty Images) The 4th Official uses images provided by the following image agency: Getty Images (https://www.gettyimages.de/) Imago Images (https://www.imago-images.de/)

Is Kounde A Decent Signing For Barcelona Head Coach Xavi?

Kounde is a good tackler of the ball and can time his challenges well to make a few important interceptions at the back. He doesn’t mind clearing the danger when the opposition are on the front foot and can even make a few crucial blocks inside his penalty box. Kounde mainly operates as a central defender but can even fill in as a right-back if required.

The French talent is proficient at playing his way out from the back which makes him a good fit for Xavi‘s brand of football at the Nou Camp. At 23, he will only get better with each year.

We can expect Kounde to enhance the quality of Barca‘s backline. He could even go on to form a solid defensive partnership with Andreas Christensen at the Catalan club in the coming seasons. Thus, Kounde would be a decent signing for Xavi as he knows the La Liga well by now and has what it takes to help Barcelona challenge for some major silverware once again in the not-too-distant future.