Former Tottenham Hotspur goalie Paul Robinson feels Barcelona midfielder and Tottenham Hotspur target Franck Kessie “ticks a lot of boxes” for boss Antonio Conte.
As per Football.london report last week, it was reported that the north London club was in the running to recruit the 25-year-old, who has battled for game time at Catalonia this season.
Xavi has favoured the youthful midfield combination of Pedri and Gavi over the Ivory Coast international. Frenkie de Jong, a former Ajax Amsterdam midfielder, is also ahead of him in the pecking order.
Conte is trying to strengthen his midfield in the winter transfer window, and the 25-year-old is on his wishlist. Robinson spoke exclusively to Football Insider about the former AC Milan player.
“I’ve not seen much of him since he moved to Barcelona in all honesty. If you look at the type of player Conte likes, Kessie would fit the bill. He is strong, quick and effective at both ends of the pitch. He ticks a lot of boxes. There is no doubting that he is an amazing player. The question is, would he come in and command a starting spot?
Hojbjerg and Bentancur have done extremely well. [Yves] Bissouma has struggled to get a look in at times. Would Kessie upset that midfield? Maybe but I don’t think it’s a certainty. It’s really important that Spurs sign better than what they already have.”
Paul Robinson, Interview with Football Insider.
So far this season, the manager’s go-to midfielders have been Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Rodrigo Bentancur. Other midfielders, such as Yves Bissouma and Oliver Skipp, have struggled to compete with the pair.
Kessie has only appeared in 13 games in all competitions so far. The 25-year-old has also struggled with conditioning, and his form has not been as good as it has been in past seasons during his stay in Italy.
While signing him does not appear good on paper, the midfielder is still incredibly gifted. As a box-to-box midfielder, he contributes offensive depth from the middle, which only Bentancur has done so far this season.
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