Barcelona defender happy in his current position; aims to become the best in the world | OneFootball

Before the start of the season, there was much anxiety within the Barcelona camp surrounding the right-back position.

With Joao Cancelo’s loan spell coming to an end, the onus was on Barcelona to sign a new face in the right-back position.

However, no such move occurred in the summer transfer window, with Hansi Flick starting the new season with no natural options at right-back.

This compelled Flick to assign Kounde as the first-choice right-back this season. Barcelona haven’t had to look back since, with the Frenchman establishing himself as a key component in Flick’s defensive line.

Kounde happy at right-back

During Xavi’s time at Barcelona, Kounde was assigned a similar role as he often appeared as a makeshift right-back for the club.

The Frenchman, though, had raised many concerns and was not too happy with the prospect of playing right-back, as he mainly considered himself a centre-back.

Kounde has been excellent at right-back this season (Photo by Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images)

As reported by SPORT, Kounde’s doubts about playing as a right-back persisted even under Flick.

However, as we approach the final phase of the campaign, the Frenchman has come a long way and is now happy playing as a right-back.

As a matter of fact, the former Sevilla starlet wants to become the best right-back in the world under Flick. This would, of course, require a lot of work on the Frenchman’s part.

Part of the reason why Kounde has been so successful under Flick has been his pace which allows him to operate smoothly in a high defensive line.

But the player must still improve on his attacking game and offer more going forward, in order to establish himself as one of the best right-backs in the world.

It must also be noted that Barcelona are looking for a new right-back despite Kounde’s top performances.

The club’s idea is to bring in a new face who can compete with the Frenchman next season rather than purely serving as a backup.