Earlier on Friday, we covered part of an interview Kalidou Koulibaly gave to Le Quotidien in Senegal about his move from Napoli to Chelsea.
The new signing explained what went on behind the scenes, revealing he didn’t take very long to decide that moving to Stamford Bridge was the right choice for him.
He also thanked Edouard Mendy for helping him settle in at the club, where he also teamed up with Jorginho once more, after the two had enjoyed a good run together in Naples.
However, it’s clear from his performances against Leeds and Southampton in particular that the Premier League has been a challenging change of pace for the centre-back, who has struggled from time to time with the differences between the more tactical Serie A and the football played on these shores.
He isn’t the first and certainly won’t be the last to need time to get used to English football, and he knows it’s all part of the process.
He told Le Quotidien: “That’s football, that’s part of it. Nothing is a given. I challenged myself. I could have stayed in Naples, been quiet there. I wanted a new challenge and I’m happy with that. Now, I don’t think there are many players who come to a club and immediately decisive. I think it’s normal that there is an adaptation period.
If the differences between Serie A and Premier League weren’t enough of a challenge to overcome, Koulibaly has also been forced to deal with a change of managers since his arrival.
While it was Thomas Tuchel who was in charge when he was signed, it’s now Graham Potter who leads the Blues, with the English coach taking over from his German counterpart following a rather rocky start to the season for the Stamford Bridge side.
Asked whether this change could prolong the time needed to adapt, Koulibaly was very clear.
He said: “The new manager came with some good ideas. He’s a real coach. He did some good things with Brighton. Now, he’s Chelsea manager. He has guidelines, expectations. It’s up to me to be patient. It’s up to me to show that I deserve to play, to show in training that the manager can trust me.
“There will be no problem. We are also in the first week. It’s normal for the manager to rely on players who are used to Chelsea and who have been there for a long time. When I will be 100%, there will be no problem. I will play again Inshallah.”
