Jules Kounde has been one of the most effective players for FC Barcelona since his arrival at the club. The player has been a great success for Barcelona, even though the Catalans had to make a huge financial effort to sign him last summer.
The Blaugranes paid €50 million fixed and promised another €12.5 in variables for the player to Sevilla, and Laporta had to make a personal guarantee with his assets to allow the club to sign the defender.
Kounde has played every possible minute
However, this gamble has paid off rather profitably. He played a significant role in helping Barcelona win the league title last season, and as SPORT has noted, he is also the player who is most trusted by Xavi this season.
This trust is showcased by the fact that the Frenchman is the only player who has played each possible minute for Barcelona up to now. The match against Antwerp saw him complete six games for Barcelona, and he now remains the only outfield player to have this 100% record in this season.
Playing mainly as a centre-back
Furthermore, almost all of these minutes have also seen Kounde play at his preferred position on the pitch, i.e., the center-back. The defender had communicated with Xavi his desire to play at this position at the start of the season.
At that time, Xavi agreed that he performed his best in the center and let him know that he had to play on the flank only because of the team’s needs.
Xavi promised Kounde that he would play in the heart of the defense this season, and this promise has been fulfilled up to now as Barcelona have brought Joao Cancelo to be their right-back, while Araujo occupied this position before the Portuguese fullback’s arrival.
However, Kounde only had to play on the flank against Cadiz, because Araujo had been injured for that match and Cancelo had not yet arrived.
