31-year-old Chelsea star linked with surprise exit

Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly linked with shock exit

Kalidou Koulibaly, who joined Chelsea from Napoli this summer, may be up for sale in the near future.

According to Matt Law of the Daily Telegraph, via CFCPys on Twitter (h/t Football.London), the club may sell the former Napoli centre-back soon.

The 31-year-old Senegal international hasn’t yet left a good impression and frequently appears as a mere shadow of his former self in matches. He seems underconfident and error-prone, which is the opposite of what we expected when we signed him.

And the Blues are obviously having trouble winning games, which has angered the supporters and caused hardship at the club.

The Blues looked for a perfect defender who could match the calibre of the German defender Antonio Rudiger, who left Chelsea in the summer. And Koulibaly proved to be the ideal centre-back and was acquired for €40 million with possible add-ons, but he has failed to live up to that value on the field.

Although it would be unjust to single him out, the team has conceded eight goals in their last four games, which really calls into question his defensive prowess and other centre-backs as well.

Thiago Silva appears to be getting older and is unable to manage everything alone. Trevoh Chalobah has been underperforming after a strong start to life in Chelsea’s senior team under Thomas Tuchel, while Wesley Fofana has missed most of the games due to injury.

The starting centre-backs are therefore responsible for the defensive woes, while the midfield, goalkeeper and full-backs don’t get a clean chit as well. But Koulibaly did not help his case at all after a dismal showing in our 2-1 league loss against Fulham.

It is possible that he is still adjusting to the Premier League’s demands, which is reasonable given that it takes players a season to acclimate. But it looks like the club is not patient with the defender and the owner’s discretion over his future will soon be decided.

More Chelsea News:

• Chelsea will make a decision on the future of David Datro Fofana in the second half of January
• Pep Guardiola urges Chelsea owner Todd Boehly to give Graham Potter time
• Chelsea target Wilfried Zaha could only leave Crystal Palace in the summer

It seems unwise to have spent time and money signing him from Napoli and then offloading him soon. It would show panic, indecisiveness, and confusion among our board members. Hence, it’s best to be patient, let Koulibaly have a season here and then decide what to do.

We can’t forget this is his first season in England and he’s playing in a team that is transitioning under new owners and a new manager.