Chelsea: Todd Boehly offers new insight into Kalidou Koulibaly transfer failure | OneFootball

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Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly has offered fresh insight into why Kalidou Koulibaly failed to make the required grade at Stamford Bridge.

Much was expected of the experienced Senegal captain when he arrived in west London on a four-year contract in the summer of 2022 for a fee of around £33million, having previously starred in Serie A during an eight-year spell at Napoli.

Koulibaly was just the second signing made after the Boehly-Clearlake ownership group took over Chelsea after the reign of Roman Abramovich, following the earlier £50m arrival of Raheem Sterling from Manchester City.

However, the centre-back struggled to adapt to life in the Premier League, making only 32 appearances for the Blues across all competitions before leaving for Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal in a £20m deal just one year later.

Boehly has now offered a window into the reasons for Koulibaly’s struggles during an appearance at a Sportico conference in Los Angeles in which he also claimed that Chelsea’s plan was finally “coming together” after the recent upturn in results and progress made under Mauricio Pochettino, whose future at the club looks set to be determined in a meeting held after the season has concluded.

“Koulibaly came over from Serie A and he told me one time, he said: ‘In Serie A, I get to think and then run.

Struggle: Kalidou Koulibaly failed to find form during his lone season as a Chelsea player

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“In the Premier League, I have to run while I think. And I’m still adjusting to that.”

Boehly then smiled when asked by the interviewer what he thought Koulibaly would say about Major League Soccer (MLS) in the United States.

Explaining his decision to leave Chelsea last year after only one season, Koulibaly said: “I had no guarantees to get regular playing time. I was always professional but I don’t like to sit on the bench doing nothing.

"I prefer a place where I am wanted and at the centre of the project and can be an example for young players. The Premier League is fantastic and there are great players.

"They [Chelsea] expected the Koulibaly of Napoli, but I think my season was not so bad. I needed time and in one year I couldn’t prove what I wanted because of the coach’s and club’s choices.

"I am happy with what I learned about my limits, my family and my kids. My time had come and I had to make a decision.”