A lot was made in the summer about reports that Jules Kounde was unhappy with his role at Barcelona after playing virtually all of his debut season at right-back, instead of his favorite position of center-back. Some even claimed the Frenchman was ready to leave Barça, but Kounde himself was quick to shut down those rumors.
But there were other reports that Kounde had spoken to Xavi Hernández about his desire to play center-back, and the player has almost exclusively played through the middle to start this season. Kounde’s insistence paid off and he was one of the top center-backs in Europe before suffering a knee injury, and Jules is now looking to regain his rhythm after returning against Real Sociedad at the weekend.