Chelsea announced the signing of Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly. Not long after completing the mandatory medical examination, Kalidou Koulibaly was officially announced by Chelsea on the homepage. In the statement, the Blues praised the leadership qualities of the Senegal captain and believed that he was capable of filling the void left by Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen.
Koulibaly is also delighted after completing his signature with the West London team. “I am happy to join this team,” he said. Chelsea is the world’s biggest club, and my dream is to play in the Premier League. Chelsea first contacted me in 2016, but the deal didn’t work out.”
“I want to thank the fans because I have seen so many of them in London and on the plane. Everyone is very happy and welcomes me here. I hope next season will be really good and bring fans the best moments.”
Earlier this week, Kalidou Koulibaly flew to London for a medical and completed the procedure to join Chelsea for a fee of £ 34 million from Napoli. According to Sky Sports, the Senegal captain has signed a four-year contract, with the option of a 12-month extension. At Stamford Bridge, he will pocket 300 thousand pounds a week. Koulibaly becomes the second rookie of coach Thomas Tuchel this summer, after Raheem Sterling.
This morning, a reporter from Sky Sports captured a picture of Koulibaly and his representative Fali Ramadani at London Heathrow Airport, preparing to board a flight to the US. The 31-year-old midfielder will meet coach Tuchel and his new teammates in Las Vegas. If it goes well, Koulibaly could be made his debut against Club America at the Allegiant Stadium at 9 am tomorrow morning.
Koulibaly is considered an ideal replacement for Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen, after these two players joined Real Madrid and Barca on free transfers. For the past eight years, Koulibaly has always been considered one of the best central defenders in Serie A.
Koulibaly joined Napoli from Genk in 2014. He scored 14 goals and provided eight assists in 317 games for Napoli. At the international level, Koulibaly has made a great contribution to helping Senegal win the CAN CUP 2020 and win tickets to the 2022 World Cup finals.
