It is well documented that FC Barcelona have always been a club where competition is found to be extremely taxing for the players and only the very best manage to cement their place in the starting elevens of the most ambitious Blaugrana coaches.
As a result, players that are either not of good enough quality or simply do not manage to book themselves a place in the plans of their coach tend to be placed on the exit ramp more often than not. The latter is a scenario that a particular Ivorian midfielder had to face during his time at Barcelona.
Now reportedly on his way to Saudi Arabian club Al-Ahli for a reported transfer fee of €15 million, Barcelona midfielder Franck Kessie ended a 2022/2023 season having been offered far less importance than he had hoped for when he joined the Catalan club from AC Milan in the last summer window.
Moreover, according to Spanish outlet SPORT, the player’s relationship with Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez has broken down due to said transfer and the reasons that have led up to it.
Believing to have been unjustly kept on the bench on several occasions by the Barcelona coach despite scoring arguably the most important goal for the Catalan side last season in the 2-1 El Clasico win against Real Madrid.
The winning goal provided an essential three points to the Catalans and removed a lot of pressure that Los Blancos were attempting to pile up on the eventual champions from Barcelona.
A particular moment where things seemed to have taken a negative turn was the 0-4 defeat to Real Madrid during the Copa Del Ray semi-finals 2nd leg. A game that seemed in control by the point Kessie was still on the field, Xavi’s decision to take the Ivorian off was seemingly the catalyst behind Madrid completely taking over from there on in.
The substitution confused the 26-year-old midfielder given that he believed that his performance up until that point in the game had been pretty solid, and most would not dispute that evaluation.
Even during the pre-season, Xavi’s reluctance to give him any major time during the friendly games as well as a call from the manager to convince him to look for a new club both added up to Kessie’s realisation that he was no longer needed at Barcelona.
At the moment, it seems to be only a matter of time before the Ivorian’s transfer to Al-Ahli is officially confirmed and the €15 million transfer fee is guaranteed to Barcelona as they look to reinvest elsewhere.
