Kalidou Koulibaly explains his decision to sign for Chelsea FC
Kalidou Koulibaly explains his decision to sign for Chelsea FC from Napoli this summer
Kalidou Koulibaly has explained that Chelsea FC’s persistent interest in signing him was a major factor in his decision to sign for the Blues from Napoli this summer.
The Blues announced the signing of the Senegal international on a four-year contract on Saturday after days of speculation linking the defender with a move to Stamford Bridge.
Koulibaly had been regularly linked with a move to Chelsea FC over the last few years, and the Blues came close to landing the defender back in 2016 but the proposed deal failed to materialise.
With Chelsea FC having lost both Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen on free transfers this summer, the Blues were looking to bring in some defensive reinforcements and Koulibaly fitted the bill for Thomas Tuchel.
The 31-year-old has now revealed his delight at finally getting the chance to move to the Premier League and play for the Blues following their long-standing interest in acquiring his services.
Speaking in an interview with Chelsea FC’s website, Koulibaly said: “I’m very happy to be here with this team at Chelsea.
“It’s a big team in the world and my dream was always to play in the Premier League. Chelsea came first to get me in 2016 but we didn’t make it. Now when they came to me I accepted it because they really wanted me to come to the Premier League to play for them.
“When I spoke to my good friends Edou [Mendy] and Jorginho they made my choice easier so I’m really happy to be with you today.
“I want to thank the fans because I saw a lot of them in London and on the plane everybody was happy for me to be here. So I want to thank them and I hope the season will be really good and we will give some good moments to the fans.”
Born in France to Senegalese parents, Koulibaly was a regular fixture in the Napoli team last season and he scored three goals and made three assists as they finished fifth in Serie A.
The Senegal captain – who is Chelsea FC’s second signing of the summer behind Raheem Sterling – made his senior debut for his national team back in 2015 and has been capped 62 times since then.
Koulibaly could make his Premier League debut for Chelsea FC when the Blues head to Goodison Park to take on Everton in their first game of the season in August.
