Pedri talks Lewandowski, Alonso, Kessie, Bellerin, Christensen, Kounde

In an interview with Diario SPORT, Barcelona midfielder Pedri offered his thought on the new players the club have brought in this summer. The youngster hailed the new additions, including Franck Kessie, praising the Ivorian for his restless nature of play.

“Kessie is an animal, he’s wild on the pitch. When he crashes with people, they fly three meters away. In training I prefer not to be next to him,” said Pedri, who went to praise another fellow midfielder in Pablo Torre.

“I have a good relationship with Pablito. When he arrived at Barça, a video came out claiming that we didn’t get on well, that I didn’t greet him… But I sent him a message so he would be happy, to let him know that I’m here for whatever he needs.”

Pedri was asked about the defenders as well, including Andreas Christensen, Ronaldo Araujo and the two fullbacks in Hector Bellerin and Marcos Alonso.

“He’s very good at playing the ball out from the back, he’s tall, something that can help with aerial duels,” he said about Christensen, before praising Kounde, adding: “At Sevilla, he played very well. He was a centre-back I liked a lot. We know what he is made of and what he can contribute.”

As for the fullbacks, Pedri hailed Alonso as a “good friend”, praising his ‘physical qualities’. “He has a great physical condition, it’s crazy. He brings a lot of quality,” he said.

“Bellerín is a player who can add a lot, a right-back that we didn’t have. He can contribute many things,” he added.

Finally, Pedri was asked about the two new attackers in the team, in the form Robert Lewandowski and Raphina. Both of them have made a crucial impact so far and Pedri was quick to acknowledge it.

“Raphinha has surprised me a lot. He works a lot for the team. He is always running and trying to recover balls with intensity. He has quality, and he has something special in his shot, something that few players have,” said Pedri when asked about Raphinha.

He ended his session praising Lewandowski, adding: “Lewandowski represents goals… The experience of winning almost everything, he can help us on and off the pitch.”

Pedri’s comments about Barcelona’s new signings come just a few days before the midfielder resumes his journey with the Spanish national team, who are set to lock horns with Switzerland and Portugal.