Kounde: Sevilla's fashionable 'cold-blooded' centre-back

When Jules Kounde arrives at Sevilla's training ground he's always smiling, even if he looks a little sleepy.

The Sevilla defender loves to sleep, but a passion for NBA often keeps him awake late at night, meaning he can miss out on some opportunities to rest. He lives in a residential area close to the training ground, much like Luis Fabiano and Carlos Bacca once did, and he lives alone.

Kounde went through lockdown on his own. He exercised in his garden and he only occasionally has visits from family and friends. But, with his strict schedule, he doesn't have a lot of time for distractions and his only focus is football. For quite a while, he has been determined to be the very best around.

His teammates consider him to be personable, polite and somebody they can talk to openly. Kounde is a joker, and as one of the youngest players at Sevilla he takes being the victim of jokes well.

From day one, he's had a good relationship with Julen Lopetegui.

"He told me what he wants from me," Kounde told MARCA about his coach. "He said that he'd help me to grow.

"I always prefer to be told where and how to improve."

Impressive in attack

Kounde was one of the biggest surprises in Europe last season, playing a key role as Sevilla won the Europa League. He hasn't stopped progressing since, and 2020/21 has been even better.

"He never seems nervous," those who work with him say. "He's cold blooded."

Kounde is always fully focused, and he's as competitive as anyone.

A 25 million euro bargain

"I had a coach who pushed us to play with the ball," Konde said. "It didn't matter if we lost it. We had to know how to dribble and surprise our opponents."

His young days prompted Monchi to sign him, and when asked if he had been overpaid for, he said "ask me in two years," much to Monchi's delight.

The 'no' to Manchester City

The English side offered 55 million euros and five more in add-ons for Kounde last summer, but their bid was rejected.

Monchi is convinced that, despite the economic crisis brought on by COVID-19, Kounde will be at the very top for a decade to come and his starting price is 80 million euros.

The 22-year-old hasn't made an international appearance with France yet, but at his current level it can't be far away.