Sports
Koundé loses starting role at Barcelona and France
October 3, 2026 at 10:26 AM · Updated 13d ago
Coverage
3 reports · over 7 hours
Jules Koundé's role has dwindled at Barcelona and with France, the defender sitting out recent club matches and both Nations League fixtures against Belgium and Italy.
- Koundé was a substitute in six of Barcelona's seven league matches, starting only against Rayo Vallecano, and missed Levante, Racing Santander and Sevilla.
- Zidane started Koundé in France's 1-0 win over Turkey but preferred Pierre Kalulu against Belgium and Italy, where Koundé stayed on the bench.
- Barcelona coach Hansi Flick said Koundé must compete for his place and that he discussed moving him to center-back, where he excelled in his first season.
- Mundo Deportivo reports Chelsea, under coach Xabi Alonso, is interested in signing Koundé in January after pursuing him in 2022.