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According to several reports, Chelsea are trying to bring Sevilla's 22-year-old French centre-back Jules Kounde to Stamford Bridge and he is the club's 'main target' for the centre-back position.
There have been rumors of a cash-plus-player deal involving Kurt Zouma, but Sevilla have rejected the offer and want £80 million for the centre-back. With Romelu Lukaku's transfer almost done, Chelsea are now looking to focus on Kounde.
It has been reported recently that both Chelsea and Sevilla are still in talks to come to an agreement over a potential sale for Jules Kounde, who is also keen to move to Stamford Bridge before the transfer window shuts at the end of the month.
The Champions League winners are ready to go ahead with the deal regardless of whether Kurt Zouma agrees to head the other way or not, with the current Chelsea star preferring to stay in England amid interest from West Ham.
Jules Kounde will definitely improve Chelsea's backline
Kounde is rated as one of the finest young centre-backs and would be a brilliant addition to the Blues' defense. He already has 159 senior appearances to his name, has experience in both the Champions League and Europa League and has also represented France at Euro 2020.
Kounde could prove to be an extremely vital signing, bolstering Chelsea defensively while also providing quality in depth as the club look to progress in multiple competitions.
Here we take a look at three reasons why Jules Kounde can become an instant success at Chelsea.
#3 Versatility
Jules Kounde is an extremely versatile defender and can successfully play as a right-back, a centre-back and a left centre-back. This means that the Frenchman could really dazzle in Thomas Tuchel's 3-4-3 system.
Kounde even showed his versatility playing for France in their Euro 2020 draw with Portugal. He was used as a right-back by Didier Deschamps against the reigning European champions although he did give away a penalty for handball in the 2-2 draw.
Kounde's ability to play in different positions could prove to be a huge asset for Chelsea. He can provide cover to both Reece James and Cesar Azpilicueta at right-back if at all Tuchel decides to use the 4-3-3 system for any game.
As a result, Chelsea desire Jules Kounde at Stamford Bridge to bolster their defensive line with his well-rounded ability and his experience to play in different positions.
#2 Provides aerial prowess that could help Chelsea
Despite his slight frame, Jules Kounde ended last season with one of the best records for aerial duels in La Liga, something which Chelsea could use in the team. According to the player himself, that's because opponents always underestimate him. Jules Kounde said in an interview-
I win more head-to-head duels than Sergio Ramos because the opponents don't dare play long on Ramos. They must say to themselves, 'It's Jules Koundé, he's not tall, we're going to take him down in the air. I often feel targeted, I feel it. And sometimes, it is pointed out to me. After games, I am often told that. When I watch my matches again, I realize that I play a lot more aerial duels than the others. They say to themselves that it will be easier against Koundé, and that motivates me.
Kounde won a commendable 64% of his aerial duels last season. Although this rate is lower than that of Chelsea's four front-line defenders, the Frenchman competed in more duels than all of them with the exception of Kurt Zouma, who was the only one to win more aerial duels per match.
Indeed, Jules Kounde won the second-most aerial duel in La Liga last season among Under-23 players and completed the most headed clearances.
Statistically, La Liga's five most active teams in terms of aerial duels are Osasuna, Eibar, Alaves, Granada and Getafe. Against these teams, Kounde has won 36 out of his 38 attempted aerial duels at a success rate of 53%. All of these teams had strikers who were taller than him. That stat would bode well for Chelsea as the Premier League has some of the most physical and tall strikers in the world.
Chelsea conceded seven goals from set-pieces last season and Jules Kounde could be a solution in that respect too, courtesy of his ability to avert danger in the air.
#1 Jules Kounde offers excellent ball-playing ability
While Jules Kounde exhibits the skills of a 'complete defender', he particularly excels at playing out from the back - a valuable trait in Chelsea's 3-4-3 setup.
Compared to other centre-backs in Europe's 'top 5' leagues, Jules Kounde ranks in the top 10% for progressive passing distance per 90 (432m), short passes completed per 90 (21.1) and pass completion rate for medium passes per 90 (95.8%).
The Frenchman also often likes to stride forward with the ball to break opposition lines. His 1.24 dribbles completed per 90 is in the top 2% for European centre-backs.
Jules Kounde loves to spring the long ball and he can definitely pull it off, but he does not yet have the required vision to make himself a major threat. He often misses good runs from his teammates, but that's something he can develop at Chelsea under the guidance of Thomas Tuchel.
