"Koundé arrives at Barça at the perfect time," says his mentor Gustavo Poyet
The coach, who mentored the defender, was the one who bet on his potential when he came out of the youth academy of Girondins de Bordeaux
Few people in the world of soccer know Jules Koundé better than Gustavo Poyet, as the Uruguayan was a coach who greatly influenced the Frenchman's career. Poyet relied on Koundé in his early days at Girondins de Bordeaux where the defender established himself and made the leap to the first team. He was also in charge of placing him in the center of the backline. It was 2018 and at the time the new Barça player was just 19 years old.
Now, after two seasons with the French club and three with Sevilla, the Uruguayan coach believes that Koundé arrives at Barça at an ideal time in his career. "Jules arrives at the right age. Arriving now at Barça is a good time, they have done well to sign him," he said in an interview with El Larguero on Cadena SER.
The former Real Betis coach praised the Frenchman's discipline and his defensive versatility. "I have trained many players individually, but Koundé would ask me to come even in the afternoon," he revealed.
"Although he has a good capacity to play as a full-back, I loved to play him as a centre-back. He is fast, powerful and likes to come out with the ball from the back," said Gustavo Poyet.
Topics with the letter
