Barcelona star reveals details on why he chose Blaugrana over Chelsea | OneFootball

Barcelona face Chelsea on Tuesday night in the Champions League at Stamford Bridge, but with a different twist of fate, Jules Kounde might be lining up on the other side. The French defender was courted by both the Blues and the Blaugrana during the summer he left Sevilla.

The 27-year-old, who this summer agreed his second Barcelona contract, joined Barcelona in a €50m deal in 2022, but did have an offer on the table from Chelsea at the same time. After hearing out both clubs, Kounde, who is expected to start against Chelsea on Tuesday, plumped for a move to Camp Nou.

Kounde reveals decisive factor in transfer decision

During an interview with L’Equipe this week, Kounde explained what had swung his decision to move to Barcelona, citing his discussions with both managers. His quotes were relayed by MD.

Image via Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

“I enjoyed our conversation. Time flew by, and that’s a very good sign when you speak so naturally. Xavi thought I fitted in really well with his system. We mostly talked about football, which is what I enjoy talking about most, especially with the manager, Xavi, who was one of the best players ever.”

“I spoke with [Thomas] Tuchel and I felt he wanted me to come, but I simply preferred Xavi’s discourse,” Kounde finalised.

Kounde’s ironic reasoning in hindsight

One of the factors that was believed to be key in his thinking at the time, was that Xavi Hernandez had promised to use him as a central defender. “I chose Barcelona because I know the majority of the time I will play in that position,” Kounde explained.

However three years on, Kounde is now the de facto right-back at Barcelona, and has been for some time. Despite a spell in central defence, Kounde has been much more often seen on the flanks. Of the 157 games he has played for Barcelona, 115 of them have come at right-back, representing 73% of his appearances.