Transfer Centre

Kalidou Koulibaly: 'Chelsea managers, bosses affected my form'

By Darren Plant, Senior Reporter | 27 June 2023

New Al-Hilal defender Kalidou Koulibaly claims that he failed to produce his best form at Chelsea due to the decisions taken by the club's managers and hierarchy.

Kalidou Koulibaly has acknowledged that he found it difficult to produce his best form during his one year at Chelsea.

Last summer, the Blues paid a reported £33m to secure the signing of the long-serving Napoli defender, who was brought in as a replacement for Antonio Rudiger.

Koulibaly's time at Stamford Bridge started positively enough, with the centre-back scoring in the 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur in August, but he was sent off in the following game at Leeds United.

Although the Senegal international showed glimpses of his ability, he never really recovered from a calamitous performance at Elland Road and spent time out of the team.

In total, Koulibaly made 29 starts and three substitute appearances in all competitions, but Chelsea's lack of qualification for Europe led to him becoming an obvious option to leave West London.

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) coach Mauricio Pochettino on March 20, 2022 © Reuters

With new head coach Mauricio Pochettino allegedly eager to use Levi Colwill, Koulibaly effectively became at least fifth choice in the pecking order below Thiago Silva, Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile.

The decision has since been made to sign for Al-Hilal, with the 32-year-old said to have moved to the Saudi Pro League outfit for a fee in the region of £17m.

Speaking in an interview with Corriere dello Sport, Koulibaly suggested that he enjoyed his time at Chelsea and had no regrets over the transfer.

However, he has hinted that the constant changes behind the scenes and decisions made by the club's hierarchy and various head coaches negatively impacted on his form.

Chelsea co-owner and chairman Todd Boehly before the match on April 18, 2023 © Reuters

Koulibaly said: "With Chelsea, I had a great experience. The Premier League is fantastic. Lots of intensity, lots of goals, very fast players, great talents.

"They expected the Koulibaly from Napoli, but I don't think my season has been that bad. I needed time: in one year, I couldn't demonstrate what I would have wanted due to the choices of the manager and the club."

He added: "I've always been serious and professional, but I don't like being on the bench doing nothing. I prefer a place where they want me, where I'm at the centre of a project and I can be an example to young people."

Koulibaly was initially signed to work under Thomas Tuchel, but he spent much of the campaign playing under Graham Potter or Frank Lampard.

There were also frequent changes in system, Koulibaly either playing in the middle of a back four or the left-hand side of a defensive three.