Odilon Kossounou will not be heading to the Premier League this summer, with the reported Arsenal and Wolverhampton Wanderers target sealing a £25 million move to Bundesliga giants Bayer Leverkusen on Thursday.
A few months ago, when a 20-year-old centre-back was being linked with Arsenal, Wolves and Inter Milan, Kossounou’s agent insisted that a rumoured £18 million price-tag would not be enough to secure the services of a ‘special player’ with vast potential.
Patrick Mork was right, too.
After a summer of speculation, Bayer Leverkusen were forced to part with a fee that sees Kossounou become the most expensive export in the history of Belgian football (HLN); a deal done to the tune of £25 million.
Will Arsenal and Wolves regret missing out on Odilon Kossounou?
Leverkusen looked like genuine Bundesliga title challengers before Christmas but fell apart in 2021, an unhelpful tendency to commit defensive blunders resulting in an eventual sixth-place finish.
Kossounou, then, will be under pressure to hit the ground running and immediately live up to his lofty price-tag at the Bay Arena.
“(He is) extremely quick, mobile, very strong in the tackle and technically good. Odilon Kossounou has made a rapid development as a really young player in the past two years in Belgium,” Leverkusen’s sporting director Simon Rolfes told the club’s official website.
“He still hasn’t exhausted his full potential. Odilon has everything to be able to play an important role in our team in the future.”
Leverkusen legend turned managing director Rudi Voller was equally enthusiastic when asked about the impact the commanding Ivorian defender could make at one of Germany’s biggest clubs.
“We are very happy that we were able to complete this transfer. Odilon Kossounou fits in perfectly with us,” Voller added.
“A central defender with impressive dynamism and body language plus great potential in the game. He will do very well for us in the next few years.”
Wolves have reinforced their backline with another exciting young talent in the shape of Colombian Yerson Mosquera instead, while Arsenal have had a £50 million bid accepted by Brighton and Hove Albion for Ben White.
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