"Despite the club initially looking for a centre-back in the winter, they eventually settled for Cancelo, given the player's desperate desire to return to the club and his willingness to reduce his salary. Most importantly, the manager saw good utility for him in the team to reinforce the full-back position and thereby free some other profiles to utilise as centre-backs."
"As relayed by SPORT, however, that is now an option Flick is considering at the moment. The German coach has never really seen Kounde as a central defender in his scheme, and he does not plan to change that dynamic now. The Frenchman played occasionally at centre-back under Xavi Hernandez, but his transition to right-back began right from when the club legend was the manager. He played close to 66% of his games under Xavi at right-back."
Joao Cancelo’s return to Barcelona is close to being finalised and has been openly addressed by manager Hansi Flick and sporting director Deco. The club initially sought a centre-back in the winter but ultimately chose Cancelo because of his strong desire to return and his willingness to accept a pay reduction. Flick plans to use Cancelo to reinforce the full-back positions, which would free other profiles to be deployed as centre-backs. Jules Kounde has been established primarily as a right-back under Xavi and Flick and is unlikely to be converted into a central defender, remaining the first-choice right-back.
Read at Barca Universal
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