According to his agent, Franck Kessie is wanted by Tottenham, and while that is a mouth-watering prospect, we can’t help but feel that the midfielder would have been absolutely perfect under Jose Mourinho.
Think about Mourinho’s best teams. His sides are at their best when he has a destructive, energetic midfielder who can break-up play and read the game well, and Kessie fits perfectly into that mould.
The likes of Nemanja Matic, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Thiago Motta have starred in that role over the years, but perhaps nobody has done it better than Michael Essien.
The Ghanaian was one of the most important players in Mourinho’s first Chelsea side, and you have to say that there are comparisons to be drawn between him and Kessie.
Kessie has even admitted that Essien was his idol growing up, and you can see that in his game with the number of tackles, interceptions and fouls he makes.
Given the number of problems Mourinho had with his midfield at Tottenham last season, chopping and changing between Tanguy Ndombele, Giovani Lo Celso and Moussa Sissoko.
It has to be said that he Kessie would have solved a massive problem for him, and given Mourinho’s ability to get the best out of other defensive-minded midfielders in the past, you’d have to say that the ex-Spurs boss could have worked wonders with the Ivorian.
It has to be said that Kessie would have been a perfect fit for Mourinho’s system and style of play, but sadly their paths will not be crossing at Tottenham.
If Spurs sign Kessie this summer, Mourinho will surely wonder whether or not he’d have been more successful in north London if they’d secured this signing 12 months ago.
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