Franck Kessié

Analysis: Kessie was a free agent after turning down an extension from his previous club, as he wanted to head back to Europe after three years in Saudi Arabia. He'll play again for one of his early teams, where he blossomed back in 2016. He still had some juice last season, totaling nine goals and seven assists in 39 games in the past campaign. He hit the net once and added four shots (two on target), two chances created, and four tackles in four World Cup matches. He'll split duties with Ederson, Lazar Samardzic and Mario Pasalic in multiple midfield spots.

Jun 30, 2026

Single shot Tuesday

Kessie registered one shot (one on goal), two crosses (zero accurate) and one corner in Tuesday's 2-1 defeat versus Norway.

Analysis: Kessie took a single shot during Tuesday's defeat, as well as taking a lone corner. The midfielder was unable to really put his mark on the match throughout, and was sent packing as Norway proved too hard to break down. Kessie was solid at times, but couldn't really make the difference in a disappointing round-of-32 defeat.