Jules Kounde
For the last one or two years, Jules Kounde has been in high demand. He’s only gotten better this season, and he’s played a key part for Sevilla. Julen Lopetegui has greatly improved the player’s work rate on the ball, and he is now a reliable carrier in possession going forward. He’s a quick defender, and while he doesn’t have the height of some modern-day central defenders, his leap makes him a viable aerial threat. Kounde can also play as a right-back due to his passing and other skills on the ball.
The above visuals show us the defensive metrics for Kounde from the 2021-22 Champions League group stages. He attempted an average of 12.28 defensive actions per 90 and won approximately 90% of these actions. He has a high success rate in winning aerial and loose ball duels. He helps recover possession of the ball and also possesses good distribution skills. He has completed 15.76 recoveries per 90 minutes and has been better than 98% of players in the tournament for the same.
Koude has played as a right centre-back and as a right-back for Sevilla. He has attempted many ground defending duels as well as aerial duels on the right flank. Similar to De Ligt, Kounde is a huge threat in the opposition box from set-piece situations.
Like de Ligt, he has proven experience playing on the elite level of football and perhaps could be a better signing as compared to the Dutchman due to his experience in La Liga. As such, the Spanish top flight is a more challenging division than either the Dutch Eredivisie or the Italian Serie A, and that is one of the things which will be considered when talking of a player’s adaptability.
