In a recent segment with Caughtoffside, renowned journalist Fabrizio Romano revealed that Tottenham Hotspur wanted to recruit Barcelona midfielder Franck Kessie last summer. Romano said,
“Inter have always appreciated Franck Kessie since he was at Atalanta before his move to AC Milan, but right not there are no talks to sign him between clubs. His agent stated that he will stay in January; Kessie still hopes to do his best for Barcelona.
“Before he left Milan at the end of his contract, there were other opportunities – Tottenham were interested in signing Kessie, but it was never an advanced negotiation.”
Kessie’s Unimpressive Campaign At The Nou Camp
Kessie has experienced a tough debut season at the Catalan club as he has failed to nail down a regular starting spot for them. He has only featured in 13 matches for Barca during this campaign, netting one goal and securing three yellow cards across multiple competitions.
The Ivory Coast international has made most of his appearances off the bench which could be why he is only averaging 0.4 tackles, 0.9 shots and 0.3 key passes per game in La Liga. However, he has been accurate when distributing the ball from the back, as evidenced by his pass success rate of 88.5% in the Spanish top tier (stats via whoscored).
Should Tottenham Hotspur Boss Antonio Conte Go Back In For Frank Kessie?
Kessie is a tough-tackling midfielder who can earn the ball back for his team on the defensive end of the field. The Ivory Coast international doesn’t mind putting his foot through the ball when needed and can strike the ball with power and accuracy from long range. He can even create some decent chances for others around him in the final third.
We can expect Kessie to add more bite and steel to Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte‘s midfield department if Spurs decides to move in for him in the future. He is primarily a box-to-box midfielder but can also fill in as a right-sided wide player if required.
Kessie has what it takes to help Spurs compete for some major trophies in the coming seasons. However, the North London club should only go back for him if they are planning to play him regularly in Premier League football.
The Ivory Coast sensation could be a shrewd acquisition for Spurs but the player has to figure out a way to overcome his recent injury problems and make a smooth transition to life in English football.
