Xavi drops important Kounde registration update
Robin Bairner
- 20 Aug 2022 11:01 BST
- 3 min read
Barcelona head coach Xavi has given supporters of the club an update on the availability of summer signing Jules Kounde ahead of Sunday’s La Liga fixture with Real Sociedad.
Kounde was notably absent on the opening day of the season as Barca were held to a 0-0 draw against Rayo Vallecano at home, despite dominating the game.
The Catalan side had to rush through the registrations of summer signings Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski, Franck Kessie and Andreas Christensen prior to the game, as well as those of Sergi Roberto and Ousmane Dembele, whose contracts expired in the summer before new deals were signed.
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Kounde, though, could not be registered, with the former Sevilla man chosen to miss out because of a lack of match sharpness.
Xavi has now revealed his status before the weekend’s match in Sociedad.
“Kounde’s registration? We’re still waiting. There’s no news,” he admitted, meaning that unless there is a dramatic shift between now and kick off, the France international will not be available.
Something that could cause such a movement would be a transfer for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang or Memphis Depay, who are linked with Chelsea and Juventus respectively.
Xavi, though, is not holding out hope of this and is not entertaining talk of adding to his squad in the meantime.
“Do we need new signings? At the moment, neither Aubameyang or Memphis Depay have left. If there’s an offer for either of them, we’ll see what happens with the squad. But right now the priority is to register Jules Kounde.”
Where will Xavi use Kounde?
The Frenchman has arrived in part because of his versatility and capacity to play as a right-back, but Xavi dropped a hint that Barcelona are still in the market for a full-back when asked where he sees Kounde playing for his club.
“I prefer him as a centre-back,” he admits. “We wanted to sign Cesar Azpilicueta but it couldn't be. We'll have to see what we can do... We have players who can adapt to this position. Sergino Dest? He knows about the situation.
“Kounde is training really well. He's great with the ball. I think we signed a very good player. Now we need to sell some players to register him.”
