While everyone is concerned with the impending transfers to bolster the frontline of Barcelona, many are ignoring the fact that the club also needs an able centre-back for adding some depth to the squad. With that in mind, the club had previously enquired about Tanguy Kouassi of Paris Saint-Germain.
As per the latest reports, Rennes are in a pole position to sign the starlet. Foot Mercato has stated that although nothing has been finalised yet, the PSG man could head to Julien Stéphan’s side at the end of this season.
Who is Tanguy Kouassi?
The 18-year-old started his journey in relatively smaller French clubs before joining PSG as a youth player in 2016. He played at different levels of the youth setup for the French champions before graduating into the first team last summer. The centre-back made his debut in Ligue 1 last December against Montpellier.
So far, he has played six league matches for the side, scoring twice. The youngster has also performed at different youth levels of the France national side and been part of the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup squad in which he won a bronze medal. The starlet can boast of a league medal, even though he has appeared in only a handful of matches for PSG.
What would Kouassi bring to Barcelona?
So far, the youngster has shown a lot of promise. The main attributes of Kouassi’s game are his strength and his massive physical presence. That also allows him to dominate the forwards of the other sides in the air, a vital aspect for any centre-back trying to be a regular for the Barca side. Another thing that has already attracted the attention of the PSG faithful is his composure on the ball, as he can play at his tempo.
While that can also attract mistakes at times, for a boy of his age, there is plenty of room for improvement. He looks extremely comfortable with the ball at his feet and so far has shown his adventurous side with the mindset to move forward with the ball and join the team in the attack.
Should Barcelona go for him?
Setién has already made it clear that he prefers the centre-back pairing of Lenglet and Piqué with Umtiti not being in the plans of the manager and on the verge of leaving the side. However, apart from these men, Todibo is a part of the squad with his future also hanging in the balance. As we saw in the match against Mallorca, the Catalans had to field Araujo, exposing the deficiency of the squad. In these circumstances, Tanguy Kouassi can be an important member of the side, and with time he could also be groomed as the long term partner for Lenglet.
