BREAKING: Kounde completes £43m Chelsea move
Stefan Bienkowski
- 26 Aug 2021 15:32 BST
- 5 min read
Chelsea have completed the signing of Sevilla central defender Jules Kounde on an x-year contract.
The French defender has made the move to Stamford Bridge as part of a deal believed to stand at around £43 million (€50 million).
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Although Kounde is only the second major signing Chelsea have made this summer, the Premier League giants have still spent no less than £145 million, following the arrival of Romelu Lukaku from Inter for £102 million.
However, with Kounde now in place to add some needed stability to Thomas Tuchel’s defence, it seems unlikely that Chelsea will make any more signings in the transfer window.
Why have Chelsea signed Kounde?
First and foremost, Chelsea have likely signed the French defender because he had developed into one of Spanish football’s most impressive defenders.
Secondly, there’s little doubt that alongside a proven goalscorer, Tuchel’s side definitely needed another central defender.
The Stamford Bridge side tend to play with a back three under their German manager and with the departures of Fikayo Tomori and Kurt Zouma, Chelsea needed another central defender to rival Thiago Silva, Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen.
Now, with Kounde in their ranks, the European champions should have enough talent and cover to challenge on multiple fronts this season.
When will Kounde make his Chelsea debut?
Despite getting the deal through before the end of the week, it seems unlikely that Kounde will be able to feature for Chelsea in Saturday’s clash with Liverpool in the Premier League.
If the player needs to quarantine for 10 days that means he’ll be able to make one or maybe two training sessions with his new side before the league clash with Aston Villa on September 11, but again that may prove too soon for the defender.
If Kounde has been double vaxxed he may be able to avoid quarantine and feature in the clash at Villa Park. If not, the away match with Tottenham Hotspur on September 19 seems like the most likely debut for the player.
