Winners and losers of Barcelona signing Kounde

James Shearman

• Updated: 28 Jul 2022 12:46 CDT
• 4 min read

Barcelona have struck a deal to sign Jules Kounde from Sevilla, as they continue their busy summer transfer window.

The club have been looking to improve their defensive options, and after weeks of negotiations with Sevilla and competition from Chelsea, they have finally reached an agreement with their La Liga rivals.

The signing of Kounde will be in addition to Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, Andreas Christensen and Franck Kessie, who they’ve already signed this year.

The Spanish side are also thought to be keen to make further reinforcements, with Chelsea defender Cesar Azpilicueta one of the next names to be lined up.

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So, with the defender joining Barcelona, who are the winners and losers of the move?

Winner - Xavi

Barcelona as a whole will benefit massively from the addition of Kounde, but Xavi will arguably be rewarded even more.

The Barcelona head coach steadied the ship upon arrival mid-season, but his points per game record isn’t actually that strong and there’s certainly a myth around Barcelona’s revival of late.

Adding Kounde, as well as the likes of Lewandowski, will help Xavi’s reputation in the managerial game hugely, and ensure he can implement a tactical structure ideally suited to his blueprint.

A solid centre-back partnership will always help a manager and, in Christensen and Kounde, Xavi now has exactly that.

Loser - Chelsea

Again, it comes as no surprise that the biggest loser of this transfer saga is Thomas Tuchel's Chelsea.

The Blues, under new American ownership, were looking to make Kounde their third signing of the post-Roman Abramovich era.

Tuchel's side need defensive reinforcements, with Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen leaving the club, and Kounde would have been an excellent replacement.

Winner - Jules Kounde

Jules Kounde is the obvious winner of this transfer, as he will now have the chance to compete for major honours at one of the world's biggest clubs.

And, having been linked with a move away from Sevilla last summer, he will be relieved to have finally gotten a deal over the line.

There is also the small matter of a significant pay rise, as is usually the case when a La Liga player transfer to Barcelona or Real Madrid.

Loser - Frenkie de Jong

Barcelona have told De Jong that he must sign a new contract with a 50% pay cut to remain at the club.

And, with an existing contract that runs until 2026, that means Barca have effectively asked the Netherlands star to forego €42m over the course of the next four years.

La Blaugrana are doing this while spending millions on transfers of the likes of Kounde and Lewandowski which, as Gary Neville points out, is totally out of order.

Winner - Arsenal

Sevilla entered negotiations with Arsenal over Nicolas Pepe last week, but the La Liga club's lack of finances presented a significant problem.

Pepe is on a reported £140,000-a-week contract at Arsenal, and is only willing to come down to £100,000 with Sevilla.

Add to that, the Gunners are refusing to drop their £25m asking price.

However, the sale of Kounde would provide Sevilla with more than enough funds to bring Pepe to Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, much to Arsenal's relief.

Loser - Real Madrid

Barcelona’s acquisition of Kounde, as well the four other high-profile signings, could seriously hamper Real Madrid’s aspirations of retaining their La Liga title.

Of course, Los Blancos have strengthened themselves - bringing in Antonio Rudiger and Aurelien Tchouameni - but Kounde, paired with Christensen, could give Barca the defensive stability they have been missing.

That could bridge the gap between the El Clasico rivals and set up a real title battle, which didn’t occur during the 2021/22 season.