Jules Kounde talks about what made him choose Barca over Chelsea
Barcelona new signing Jules Kounde opens up on the reason he chose to join Barcelona instead of Chelsea.
The French International had looked set to join Chelsea in the just-ended transfer window only for him to sign for FC Barcelona.
In an interview with L’Equipe, Kounde insisted that he was blown away by Xavi’s speech.
“First, I have come to a huge club, which has known good times and which, lately, has had less,” he said.
“I come to a project that I would not call reconstruction, because we already have a competitive team, but rather, being upturned.
“I was interested in being part of this new wave, in search of titles, and to put Barca back where it has always been, among the best clubs.
“Then there was the conversation with the coach. We talked about football. I felt a real confidence from him, that he had a real knowledge of myself, my game and my qualities.
“I spoke with Tuchel and I also felt that he wanted me to come, but I simply preferred Xavi’s speech.”
Kounde has been a main stay in the Barcelona setup ever since he was registered by the club.
He has been mostly deployed as a right-back instead of his favourable centre-back position.
“When I talked to Xavi he told me that my qualities correspond to his game plan, starting from the back, playing high, using my qualities of speed and anticipation,” Kounde said.
“He also wants an aggressive team – we are one of the teams that presses high.
“He saw me in this system and I too saw myself in this team that I saw make a pretty crazy rise in the table last season.
“With Sevilla we were 15 points ahead of them in the middle of the season. Xavi arrived and I saw the changes he made and what direction he was going in. I liked it.”
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