Kalidou Koulibaly's First Words As A Chelsea Player, Thomas Tuchel And Todd Boehly Deliver Verdicts

Kalidou Koulibaly has shared his first words as a Chelsea player after his signing from Napoli on a four-year-deal was announced. 

The 31-year-old’s arrival was confirmed in the early hours of Saturday morning (UK) which sees him pen a long-term deal at Stamford Bridge, in a deal which is believed to have cost the Blues around £34 million. 

Koulibaly flew to Las Vegas to meet his new teammates, as well as reunite with Senegal teammate Edouard Mendy and former Napoli midfielder Jorginho. 

After penning his deal in the English capital, Koulibaly becomes the second signing of the summer after Raheem Sterling, bolstering the club’s defence which lost Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen last month. 

“I’m very happy to be here with this team at Chelsea,” Koulibaly told the official Chelsea website after his arrival was made official.

“It’s a big team in the world and my dream was always to play in the Premier League.”

The central defender added: “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 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.”

Thomas Tuchel has got the first of his defensive targets this summer, a deal which was wrapped up quickly as Chelsea pressed on in negotiations with Napoli. 

The Chelsea boss reacted to the signing, saying: "He’s now the second signing of the summer and again we have a strong player, a strong personality with big experience. From our point of view, he’s a perfect addition to the group."

More signings are being worked on by Tuchel and the club’s hierarchy. In his media conference, Tuchel added: "We are working on more numbers, everyone is wishing to have a complete team when they are in pre-season but it almost never happens.

"We are working and trying to be as fast and intense on it as possible but at the same time, we are relaxed knowing what we have to offer.

"At the same time, we're focused on the players that are here because that is in general what's most important."

While co-owner Todd Boehly added: "Kalidou Koulibaly is one of the world’s elite defenders and we are delighted to be welcoming him to Chelsea. A great leader and an exemplary team player, Kalidou brings a wealth of experience and attributes that will benefit our squad and the club as a whole."

Koulibaly’s new teammates have already welcomed his arrival, with Timo Werner hailing the Senegal international, describing the defender as ‘exactly what Chelsea need’.

Werner told Sky Sports: “He’s a brilliant defender, so he will give us the strength at the back, what we need after a lot of players who left us in the defence. 

“A very good signing for the club, a good player, what I saw and played against him, when we played against Napoli. He brings exactly what we need.”