Chelsea has been linked with almost every available centerback not registered with the club this summer. Nathan Ake, Matthijs de Ligt and Jules Kounde are three names that have been recurring transfer updates for the Blues over the past week. However, Kalidou Koulibaly is different in the fact that he has been linked with Chelsea every transfer window for the past five years. Luckily, the discussions ramped up swiftly and got very serious very quickly this time. In the space of hours, Koulibaly went from possible option on the list to a deal that 95% done. Many fans, of course, are excited—duh, it’s a new signing—but who exactly is the former Napoli centerback that fans have longed for and what does he bring to the side?
It’s time to explore this question much further as we discuss who the hell Kalidou Koulibaly is as both a person and a football player.
1. History
Koulibaly was born in France in June 1991. He began his youth footballing career at French club Saint Die, where he spent four years. Following his debut stint in Saint Die’s youth academy, the young defender went on to spend three years at Metz. He returned to his old stomping grounds of Saint Die after that spell, where he spent another three years. Any guesses as to where he went after that? If you had a return to Metz on your mind, you’d be correct. During his second spell there, he spent one year in the academy before being promoted to Metz’s senior team in 2010.
Koulibaly would go on to make 42 appearances for Metz in all competitions before to moving to KRC Genk, where he made 92 appearances in total. He moved to the club we all now know him for, SSC Napoli, for €7.8 million in July 2014. The Senegalese international would go on to make 317 appearances for the Naples-based club over his eight-year career there as he became not only one of the best defenders in the game, but also a club legend for his efforts.
Koulibaly boasts 236 Serie A appearances, 41 Ligue 2 appearances and 52 Jupiler Pro League appearances throughout his entire career. He clearly has experience across several competitions and across several countries, so there is little doubting his overall abilities. It also helps his case that Italy is known as the home of legendary defenders—especially centerbacks—remembering household names like Franco Baresi, Paolo Maldini and Alessandro Nesta.
Koulibaly is also a seasoned international footballer. He made 11 appearances for the France U20s, but ultimately chose to play for Senegal as a senior international. He has been capped 62 times for the Lions throughout his career. Koulibaly is not just a seasoned professional, but he’s also a leader, as shown in the fact that he captains his country and sometimes led his old club.
2. Is he any good?
Koulibaly has been one of the best centerbacks in world football for the past half decade at least. His athleticism and reading of the game is top notch, hence many top clubs pursuing him over the years. The veteran is not just a good defender either, he also has a knack for contributing at the other end of the pitch. The Senegalese centerback scored and assisted six goals last season (three goals and three assists), as well, which is an impressive tally for a central defender.
According to fbref, Koulibaly made 1.5 interceptions per 90 last season and averaged 3.8 tackles plus interceptions per 90. He also racked up an impressive 1.1 blocked shots per 90. Napoli played a possession-based style of football last season—in fact, it had the highest possession on average in the Serie A—so he should therefore not be expected to have a high volume of defensive actions to show. Koulibaly played and started 27 league games during the previous campaign, keeping 11 clean sheets, and he missed four games due to injury. His discipline is excellent as he tries to always be in position, often leaving him as the last man in defense.
Koulibaly’s passing is one of his strengths too. He averaged a 60% long passing accuracy across the last four league seasons, according to SofaScore. That’s a high number considering centerback passing maestro Virgil van Dijk has averaged about 55% in that time frame. The accuracy is not high for a lack of volume either, as he averaged 4.3 long balls per game in those four seasons. Koulibaly is left footed and this means that while he can and has always played in a two-centerback formation, he can also play as a left centerback or a middle centerback in a three centerback formation. His versatility will be key in the eyes of Thomas Tuchel.
The former Napoli key defender is also good at winning duels, winning 56% of his total duels on average in the past four league seasons. His aerial prowess is not as good as can be though, as he has averaged a 54% aerial success rate. He’s six-foot-two, and at that height, he should be winning at least 60-65% of his aerial duels as a centerback. Koulibaly’s aerial numbers are the only thing not exemplary about him—he’s superb in nearly every other aspect of play.
3. What does this mean for the centerbacks?
This question should be relatively easy to answer in the grand scheme of things. Koulibaly is reportedly coming in on about €200,000 per week, which would instantly make him Chelsea’s highest earning centerback, and rightly so. This means that he will start when fit and will likely be paired with Thiago Silva and Trevoh Chalobah, if Tuchel sticks to a 3-4-2-1.
Chelsea lost Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen on free transfers this window and sold Kurt Zouma to West Ham in a €29 million deal last season. The Blues will be going into next season with some assurance of another top class, seasoned centerback in their back line following the signing of Koulibaly though. Fans also expect youngster Levi Colwill to be added to Chelsea’s senior centerback list next season. This would put the Blues at four senior centerbacks that they can rotate in addition to Chalobah, Silva and the new arrival, Koulibaly. Ethan Ampadu may also be on the roster, but the reports coming out about him suggest that he’d want assurances on playing time and with the arrival of Koulibaly, no such assurance can be given to the versatile youngster.
Chelsea played with a back three for the majority of last season and if it continues to do that this season, Koulibaly likely slots in at left centerback with Chalobah on the right and Silva through the middle. That is, for now at least. This is because Koulibaly is far more athletic, so he’d be more useful to Chelsea as a wide centerback than Silva. Should the Blues decide to go to a back four next season, Koulibaly likely slots in as the left-sided centerback with Silva on the right. Chalobah and Colwill will be rotation options in a back four, and there’ll be many opportunities for them as Chelsea will be playing several competitions per week and may play 60+ games again.
Expect Koulibaly to make more centerback appearances and play more minutes than any other centerback for the Blues this season, similar to Rudiger last year. The Senegalese connection between he and Chelsea’s starting goalkeeper, Edouard Mendy, bodes well for the Blues. With Koulibaly, perhaps Chelsea can go back to being secure in defense, so that Tuchel can focus on trying to solve the creation and scoring problem the west London club cannot seem to shake off.
What do you make of the Koulibaly signing? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!