Former England manager, Fabio Capello, has been “surprised” by Kalidou Koulibaly’s lack of personality in the first few months of his Chelsea career.
During the summer transfer window, Chelsea acquired Koulibaly from Napoli in Capello’s native Italy. He arrived as part of a changing of their defensive guard.
The Senegal international, along with Wesley Fofana and Marc Cucurella, were brought in by the Blues after Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen left.
Koulibaly made a name for himself as one of the top defenders in the world while playing for Napoli. He was frequently linked with a move to the Premier League throughout his eight years with the Serie A team.
What has happened since it finally occurred in the summer has been a little underwhelming. The 31-year-old is currently in a battle for Graham Potter’s trust after being recently named head coach.
Koulibaly first game under Potter and he gets a clean sheet, only the beginning 💫 pic.twitter.com/AQxyjJr5ug
— Muk (@CFC_Muk) October 5, 2022
What Did Capello Say About Koulibaly’s Chelsea Start?
Speaking about Koulibaly, Capello said: “At Chelsea he has no personality. When he has the ball at his feet he hesitates. He is not playing quickly. He does not do what he did at Napoli.
“At Napoli he commanded, he came forward, he made long passes.
“Now he has the ball between his feet, he does not know who to pass it to and he always plays passes to someone only a few metres away. Actually, he is surprising me. I thought he had a great personality.
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“And for Chelsea he would be really important and explode straight away. And yet, at this moment, this is not him.”
Koulibaly won a place in the Serie A Team of the Year for four consecutive seasons with Napoli, between 2015-16 and 2018-19.
Meanwhile, in the latter campaign of that run, he was named the league’s Best Defender.
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