Jules Kounde had started the 2023-24 season in top form. Having returned to his natural centre-back position after spending much of the previous campaign as a right-back, the French defender was undoubtedly one of Barcelona’s top performers, until he picked up an injury against Granada in October.
Since then, Kounde has been on a downward trajectory. His performances have been below-par, something that is concerning Barcelona officials, as per Sport. His latest poor showing came against Athletic Club in Wednesday’s Copa del Rey quarter-final defeat at San Mames, with the 25-year-old having been especially poor during extra time.
Barcelona’s concern in regards to Kounde is growing, although he continues to play a key role for head coach Xavi Hernandez. He has played every single minute of the Catalan giants’ fixture in 2024, and that looks to continue being the case going forward, especially with Alejandro Balde’s injury leaving the club one defender short for the foreseeable future.
