Xavi confirms Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and Arsenal target Franck Kessie is staying at Barcelona
Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez has dealt a decisive blow to Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and Arsenal in their hopes of signing Franck Kessie.
The two teams have been linked with a move for the Ivory Coast midfielder after his difficult start to the season. He moved to Spotify Camp Nou on a free transfer last summer from AC Milan.
However, he has failed to grab a foothold on the first team under Xavi. With just 272 minutes in the league this season, he is clearly low in the club’s midfield pecking order.
![Franck Kessie of FC Barcelona battles for possession with Antoine Griezmann of Atletico Madrid.](https://tothelaneandback.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/12-64-1200x800.jpg)
Xavi evidently prefers to play Gavi, Pedri, Sergio Busquets, and Frenkie de Jong ahead of him. Hence, a move to Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs – two teams who could do with adding a quality central midfielder to their ranks – made sense.
Kessi to stay at Barca
However, Xavi has confirmed that the player will stay at Barcelona, at least in the January transfer window. He said (h/t Evening Standard):
“I’ve never considered Kessié’s departure. Kessié is a player I like, he gives us many variants in a game and he can be really important.”
![Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of FC Barcelona celebrates with Franck Kessie - August 2022.](https://tothelaneandback.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/34-9-1200x800.jpg)
It makes sense from the Spanish manager’s perspective. Barcelona would be unwise to offload him given that an injury to one of their first-team midfielders could call Kessie into action on a more regular basis.
Moreover, Sergio Busquets seems like he is in the twilight of his playing career. Kessie, 26, could have been a fine addition to this Tottenham team.
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Given that he was signed for nothing last summer, fans would have hoped that the allure of making a profit in transfer fees would have turned Barcelona’s head. But it seems we’ll have to look elsewhere for a midfielder – if we plan to sign any.