Barcelona thrilled with star's response to repeated disciplinary issue as club plan new contract offer after Hansi Flick punished player three times for turning up late

According to a report from SPORT (h/t Football Espana), Barcelona are absolutely thrilled with the improvement shown by defender Kounde after head coach Hansi Flick dropped him to the bench three times as punishment for turning up late to team meetings. The Catalans want to renew Kounde's contract, which currently expires in June 2027.

Kounde has repeatedly been reprimanded by Flick for being late to pre-match meetings. Ahead of Barcelona's La Liga game against Rayo Vallecano in February, Kounde was dropped from the starting lineup due to tardiness, with Hector Fort replacing him at right-back. This wasn’t the first instance; Kounde was also benched during pre-season and in October for being late, including a specific instance against Alaves when he was two minutes late.

In November, Kounde was again excluded from the starting XI for the match against Espanyol, with Flick emphasising his strict approach to punctuality. "When I say 13:30 hours, it’s neither 13:29 nor 13:31," Flick told Kounde at the time.

Kounde, however, has acknowledged his lack of discipline and punctuality. As per the report, the right-back told the coaching staff that he was totally on the same page when it came to being dropped, assuring them that the rules laid down by the head coach were there for everyone to comply with.

The former Sevilla man has time and again reiterated that his tardiness is not a sign of disrespect towards Flick and other members of the Barcelona first team, but rather a consequence of his poor time management skills. He has asked the club official to keep him notified about when the team meetings and other pre-match routines take place.

Kounde is a happy man at Barcelona these days. He has become one of the first names on the team sheet under Flick and the club is happy with his contributions. Talks over a renewal are already in progress.

Barcelona defeated Benfica 4-1 on aggregate to progress to the quarter-finals of the Champions League, where they will meet Borussia Dortmund. In La Liga, they are level on points with Real Madrid, although they do have a game in hand. Their next game is a top-of-the-table clash against Atletico Madrid on Sunday.