In a recent interview with Wett Freunde, Gianluca Dimarzio stated that Chelsea are eyeing a move for Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly this summer. It is understood that the Blues are hoping to acquire the services of the Senegal international in this off-season.
Koulibaly’s Impressive Form In Italian Football Last Season
Koulibaly had a brilliant campaign at Naples in the previous campaign after he produced a series of dominant performances at the back. The 31-year-old scored three goals and earned three assists in 34 appearances for the Italian club last season across all fronts.
The Napoli star performed well to average 1.4 tackles, 1.1 interceptions and 3.1 clearances per game in Serie A football. He was even accurate when distributing the ball from the back, as evidenced by his pass success rate of 86.9% in top-flight football (stats via whoscored).
What Will Koulibaly Bring To Chelsea This Summer?
Koulibaly is a defensive powerhouse who can time his challenges well to secure the ball back for his team on the defensive end of the field. He usually doesn’t take any chances when clearing his lines at the back and can even pull off a few important blocks to restrict the opposition from finding the back of the net.
A centre-half of the Senegal international’s quality will no doubt enhance the quality of Chelsea‘s first team. He could even go on to form a solid defensive partnership with Thiago Silva at Stamford Bridge over the next couple of seasons.
At 31, Koulibaly will be a brilliant, short-term addition to Thomas Tuchel‘s match-day squad. He could even bring more bite and steel to the West London club’s backline. Thus, it makes sense for Tuchel to step up his pursuit of the Napoli star as he might help them challenge for the Premier League title next season.
However, only time will tell whether he can adapt to the physical nature and high intensity of English football. Still, the pros outweigh the cons of recruiting Koulibaly. Based on his form in the previous campaign, he remains one of the best players in his position in Europe.
