Ismaël Koné says Sassuolo has given him back the freedom he needed. The 23-year-old midfielder said he feels welcome from the first day he arrived in Emilia-Romagna and believes the club has let him express himself after a stop-start spell in France.
“I feel good in this club. The club has given me a lot for me to just express myself,” Koné said, calling his move to Serie A “a dream come true.”
That turnaround matters now because Koné is pushing to rebuild his place in Canada’s plans just weeks before the FIFA World Cup, when every midfield option will be judged on form as much as reputation. Canada want players who can carry the ball forward and drive transitions, and Koné’s best version has always looked built for that role.
Koné joined Olympique de Marseille from Watford in the summer of 2024, but the move never settled. He made only nine appearances before falling out with Roberto De Zerbi, then spent the second half of the season on loan at Rennes. Marseille later sent him to Sassuolo on a season-long loan, and the Italian club made the transfer permanent after seeing enough to keep him.
The switch has clearly suited him. Koné said he did not expect Serie A to be so tactical, adding that every match is a fight and every set of three points carries weight. Sassuolo won 14 of their 38 league matches and finished 11th after the season, a strong return for a club whose first aim after promotion was simply to stay up. In that setting, Koné found a team that asked him to think quickly and play with more control.
His revival also gives Canada something useful at the right moment. Jesse Marsch needs midfielders who can progress the ball and help the team move through games with pace, and Koné’s form in Italy suggests he can still be part of that conversation. He is not a finished answer yet, but after Marseille, Rennes and a difficult stretch that could have stalled him, Sassuolo has put him back in the window at exactly the right time.
