Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel has admitted that he’s looking forward to seeing his new defender Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli show his quality as soon as possible.
The Senegalese player switched to Chelsea last week on a £41 million deal from Napoli after he had an amazing career in the Italian Serie A.
Kalidou Koulibaly is officially Chelsea’s second signing this summer after the West London club signed Man City striker Raheem Sterling.
Recently, some sports journalists asked Thomas Tuchel what he thinks about Kalidou Koulibaly and the German coach said: “He brings experience, top defensive quality, height, and everything we are looking for to play in a back-three or a back-four.”
“It’s another brilliant signing for us, and we hope Kalidou can show his quality as soon as possible.”
The Chelsea head coach already knows that Kalidou Koulibaly is a top defender which was why he pushed to sign him. Chelsea had to win the race for his signature against Serie A giants Juventus.
The Blues have lost two defenders already as Antonio Rudiger joined Real Madrid and Andreas Christensen moved to Barcelona. Also, apart from backing his new player to become a dominant force at the back four, Thomas Tuchel revealed that Edouard Mendy and Jorginho will help Kalidou Koulibaly to settle well in the team.
Kalidou Koulibaly played with Jorginho when he was still at Napoli and Edouard Mendy is his fellow countryman.
🗣 “It’s another brilliant signing for us.”
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) July 18, 2022
Thomas Tuchel explains what he expects Kalidou Koulibaly to bring to Chelsea pic.twitter.com/ga1kytXzDn
Tuchel also revealed that the whole squad is happy to have Kalidou Koulibaly and he hopes they will help him to feel welcomed. The 31-year-old signed a four-year contract with Chelsea and will be expected to be the main man at the back.
Thomas Tuchel also believes that he’s capable of showing the same performances which made the team sign him. Koulibaly was also among the players who helped Senegal to win the last African Cup of Nations competition in Cameroon this year.
Although Thomas Tuchel has gotten his top transfer target, the Blues are still in the market to sign Paris Saint-Germain defender Kimpembe.
This is coming after the deal for Manchester City’s Nathan Ake failed, as the Netherlands defender said that he’s not ready to leave Man City. Chelsea already has Thiago Silva who’s even older than Kalidou Koulibaly but also more experienced.
Since the two players are approaching the end of their careers, having younger defenders will be a better option. Thomas Tuchel also added that it was difficult for the club to sign Kalidou Koulibaly because he’s a key player in Napoli.
