Todd Boehly details why one of his biggest Chelsea flops failed at Stamford Bridge
Todd Boehly admits Kalidou Koulibaly – a signing early in his Chelsea reign – simply couldn’t cope with the demands of the Premier League.
The Senegalese defender was one of the major captures soon after the American consortium took charge at Stamford Bridge, beginning their free-spending nature. Thomas Tuchel presided over a transfer window that saw the club land the likes of Raheem Sterling, Wesley Fofana and Koulibaly.
Chelsea had just lost Antonio Rudiger to Real Madrid and needed a defensive leader, turning to the former Napoli man, who had been regarded as one of the world’s best centre-halves whilst in Serie A. Boehly admits Koulibaly told him that the speed of the English game required adjustment – which he struggled to do.
As a result, the Blues chose to cash in after only 12 months. The defender has since headed to Saudi Arabia for £20million – £13m less than Chelsea had paid for him – with the west Londoners only getting 23 Premier League games from him.
Boehly said: “There’s no bigger sport in the world. When you think about just the size and scale of European football, it’s just mind-numbing and there’s no better league in the world in the Premier League. If you look at how these guys play, the speed with which they play the game.
“One of my players who I had a great relationship with is Kalidou Koulibaly. Koulibaly came over from Serie A (where he played for Napoli) and he told me one time, ‘In Serie A, I get to think and then run but in the Premier League, I have to run while I think, and I’m still adjusting to that’.”
Koulibaly is one of a number of players to join Chelsea, many for big fees, yet struggled to live up to the billing. Boehly has parted with more than £1billion but the Blues remain miles off winning silverware as they scramble to avoid another mid-table finish this term.
Kalidou Koulibaly found it difficult to settle at Chelsea
The Blues will lose Thiago Silva in the summer after it was announced he would return to Brazil. The Champions League winner has been a rare reliable influence at the back as he continued to defy his age, but Chelsea will have to review their defensive options once more.
Mauricio Pochettino has a number of players on his books, but such is the size of the squad several have struggled for game time. Wesley Fofana, Levi Colwill, Trevoh Chalobah, Axel Disasi and Benoît Badiashile are all options at the heart of defence when fit.
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