Jakarta –
Raphael Benitez comment on transfer Kalidou Koulibaly ke Chelsea. Having worked together at Napoli, Benitez revealed some of Koulibaly’s weaknesses.
Koulibaly was recruited from Napoli for a transfer value of around 40 million euros. The defender from Senegal signed a contract with Chelsea until 2026.
Koulibaly is touted as one of the best defenders in Serie A. He made 317 appearances for Napoli and was named four times in the Serie A Team of The Year.
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO RESUME CONTENT
–
However, Benitez, who coached Napoli in 2013-2015, warned Chelsea about Koulibaly’s shortcomings. There are several aspects that the 31-year-old defender must improve.
“He has to improve his concentration every now and then. He can be guilty of losing focus and overconfidence, but he was very influential at Napoli and people I know and trust tell me that he was the best centre-back in Italy of his era.” Benitez said as reported by Mirror.
“This season he is in the Premier League and he will have no problem with the way Tuchel plays. He has a resemblance to Ruediger, he is very good at running with the ball, his two feet are very good.”
“Is he too good? We’ll see at Chelsea. As I said, he is okay in Italy because he is very fast, but I doubt he will be so dominant here.”
“His aerial ability isn’t his greatest strength, but in Italy it’s not that important and he’s okay. It’s interesting to see how it develops in the Premier League, but he’s always willing to learn. He spent time with me and the staff after training to hone his headers and improve his technique. ,” said Benitez.
(nds/bay)
–
