Flick not considering changing key Barcelona star’s position after Joao Cancelo signing | OneFootball

Barcelona are ever so close to finalising the return of Joao Cancelo to the club, and while it is not official yet, both the manager Hansi Flick and Deco have spoken about it openly – all but admitting its completion.

Despite the club initially looking for a centre-back in the winter, they eventually settled for Cancelo, given the player’s desperate desire to return to the club and his willingness to reduce his salary.

Most importantly, the manager saw good utility for him in the team to reinforce the full-back position and thereby free some other profiles to utilise as centre-backs.

The Kounde question

Arriving as a natural right-back, the first question that pops up is whether Flick is considering using Jules Kounde as a centre-back alongside Pau Cubarsi now that Cancelo can cover at right-back. After all, even Eric Garcia has slowly transitioned to midfield.

As relayed by SPORT, however, that is now an option Flick is considering at the moment. The German coach has never really seen Kounde as a central defender in his scheme, and he does not plan to change that dynamic now.

The Frenchman played occasionally at centre-back under Xavi Hernandez, but his transition to right-back began right from when the club legend was the manager. He played close to 66% of his games under Xavi at right-back.

Kounde will continue at right-back even after Cancelo’s arrival. (Photo by Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)

Flick’s arrival further consolidated his position as a right-back as the manager saw him to have the potential to become a great full-back and aid Lamine Yamal’s progression. He has never played in central defence under Flick.

Cancelo’s arrival, thus, is unlikely to change matters for Kounde, especially given how Flick usually prefers to have his left-back high-up attacking and the right-back playing slightly more restricted.

That dynamic, needless to say, makes the Portuguese defender fit in better as a backup for Alejandro Balde, thereby freeing Gerard Martin to become a full-time centre-back.

Kounde, meanwhile, is likely to continue as the team’s first-choice right-back. After all, playing Cancelo on the same flank as Yamal will leave Barcelona defensively fragile on the right.

If a player is to shift from right-back to centre-back, it will likely be Eric Garcia, given how he has been trusted by Flick in the department before. Kounde may well be an option, but it is not something the manager is considering for now.