It is fair to argue that Franck Kessie has struggled so far at FC Barcelona since new head coach Xavi has not given him many opportunities.
According to Calciomercato.com, Kessie ‘anticipated a totally different start’ to life with Barcelona, with whom he opted to sign as a free agent, leaving Milan after more than a decade in search of a fresh interesting project in a new nation and league.
The fact that Barcelona pursued him vigorously suggested that Xavi would find a place for him, but the Ivorian appears to be trailing Sergio Busquets, Gavi, Pedri, Frankie de Jong, and, for the time being, Miralem Pjanic.
Kessie has only played 37 minutes in three games and is unlikely to start against Viktoria Plzen in the Champions League.
The former Atalanta man makes €7 million net every season with the Blaugrana but appears to be at the bottom of the ladder for the time being as the fifth choice for Xavi, who has always preferred technical abilities over muscular ones.
There were also some issues with his registration by the Nou Camp club due to financial rules. Kessie, on the other hand, is not one to give up and will work hard to make a name for herself.
Given that Pioli used him as an attacking midfielder as well as a defensive midfielder in the double pivot, he should be able to fit into Barca’s 4-3-3. However, he must tactically integrate, and it won’t be clear for some time whether or not it was the right decision for him to leave a team where he was highly regarded.
