Kalidou Koulibaly seems to be on the verge of a €40m transfer to Chelsea, so take a look at what the Napoli defender can bring to Thomas Tuchel’s team.
Nicknamed K2, like the largest mountain in the world, the 1.87m tall centre-back is strong in the air, surprisingly fast for someone of his size and above all very difficult to budge in a physical challenge.
In recent years, Koulibaly has pushed forward more than in the past, leading to him contributing three goals and three assists in 27 Serie A appearances last season.
Incredibly, that means the defender has been directly involved in more goals during the 2021-22 campaign that Chelsea striker Timo Werner, who scored four and assisted one in 21 Premier League matches.
Koulibaly did not play as many games as usual for the Partenopei that term because he was leading Senegal to their historic first ever Africa Cup of Nations triumph in January 2022.
Although he is largely accustomed to a four-man defence, Koulibaly has occasionally played in the back three for Napoli, something he would need to do far more often at Chelsea under Tuchel.
Koulibaly has been at Napoli since 2014 and was offered a five-year contract worth €6m per season including bonuses, along with the promise of a job in the club after retirement.
While that was tempting, it’s reported he felt this was his last chance to win silverware at club level, as Napoli are openly lowering their expectations for the 2022-23 campaign.
Lorenzo Insigne and Dries Mertens were released as free agents when refusing massive pay cuts to extend their contracts, part of a general cost-cutting exercise across the board.
Coach Luciano Spalletti has also warned repeatedly that their aim is not to win the Scudetto, but to take a top four finish and qualify for the Champions League.