Kalidou Koulibaly was one of Chelsea’s first signings under Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.
Chelsea signed Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli back in 2022 following the departures of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen to Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively.
The 32-year-old arrived at Stamford Bridge with the reputation of being one of the best defenders in Serie A.
However, he really struggled during his time at Chelsea, going on to make just 23 appearances in the Premier League before being sold to Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal last summer.
Boehly has now spoken about his relationship with Koulibaly and revealed one interesting conversation they had before the Senegal international’s exit.
What did Kalidou Koulibaly tell Todd Boehly?
Boehly and Koulibaly seemed to have a good relationship.
Again, the former Chelsea man found it tough in England and was very open about it.
“One of my players who I had a great relationship with is Kalidou Koulibaly,” Boehly was quoted as saying by The Athletic.
“Koulibaly came over from Serie A and he told me one time, ‘In Serie A, I get to think and then run but in the Premier League, I have to run while I think, and I’m still adjusting to that’.”
Kalidou Koulibaly one of Todd Boehly’s failed signings
Since taking over Chelsea, Boehly has overseen the arrival of many new players, including Koulibaly.
Thomas Tuchel was the man who brought him in to fill the void that Rudiger and Christensen had left, but it was ultimately Boehly and Clearlake’s money that made the move happen.
Unfortunately, things did not work out for Koulibaly and the transfer will not go down as a success.
There have been quite a few of those, with Mykhailo Mudryk, one of the club’s most expensive ever additions, also being one of them.
Since arriving at Chelsea from Shakhtar Donetsk last January, the winger has managed to score just six goals in 56 appearances. Boehly has quickly learnt that money does not always equate to success.