In a recent report, Sport stated that Aston Villa are among the clubs hoping to sign Barcelona outcast Franck Kessie. It has been claimed that the Villans are hoping to secure the services of the Ivory Coast sensation but could face competition in the form of Tottenham Hotspur in pursuit of him.
Kessie’s Lack Of Playing Time At Barcelona This Season
Kessie is having a frustrating campaign at the Catalan club after struggling to earn regular playing minutes under the stewardship of Xavi. The Ivory Coast talent has scored twice and picked up three assists in 28 matches for Barca this season across all competitions.
The 26-year-old has seen most of his appearances come as a substitute which explains why he is only averaging 0.5 tackles, 0.5 interceptions, 0.3 clearances, 0.5 shots, 0.3 key passes and 0.3 dribbles per 90 minutes in La Liga. However, he deserves some credit for being accurate with his ball distribution as he has made 88.8% of his attempted passes in the Spanish first division (stats via whoscored).
Kessie is under contract at Barcelona until the summer of 2026. Thus, the Villans would find it difficult to fund a move to sign him on a cut-price fee during this summer transfer period.
Should Aston Villa Boss Unai Emery Move In For Kessie In The Summer?
Kessie doesn’t hesitate to get stuck in with some crunching tackles to earn possession back for his side at the centre of the park when he is playing regularly on the pitch. He can sense the danger well and doesn’t mind clearing the danger when the opposition are on the front foot.
The Ivory Coast midfielder can even create some inviting chances for others around him in the opposition half and is a powerful striker of the ball from long range. He is usually full of energy and running and would be a good fit for Unai Emery‘s brand of football at Villa Park.
Thus, the Aston Villa boss should consider moving in for Kessie if he has the funds to pull off such a transfer at the end of this campaign.
At 26, the Barca outcast’s best years are ahead of him, so the Villans would be wise to get him on board this summer. However, there are some question marks over whether he can cope with the physical nature and high intensity of Premier League football if Emery can devise a way to land him later this year.
