Posted: 12:55, July 16, 2022 | Updated: 16:52, July 16, 2022
Former Chelsea boss Rafael Benitez has admitted Kalidou Koulibaly needs to improve his concentration levels before playing for the Blues.
The defender completed a £34million move to Chelsea from Napoli and is expected to fill the void left by Antonio Rudiger, who joined Real Madrid on a free transfer.
But Benitez, who managed Koulibaly during his time as Napoli manager, shared his concerns about the defender’s loss of focus on the pitch and his tendency to be “overconfident”.
Those concerns have left the former Blues boss doubtful that the 31-year-old will be as dominant as he was in Serie A.
Senegalese defender Kalidou Koulibaly has joined Chelsea from Napoli in a £34m deal.
Rafael Benitez managed Koulibaly when he was manager of Italian club Napoli
He told The Athletic: “He needs to improve his concentration at times.
“He can be guilty of losing focus and can be overconfident, but he had a huge influence at Napoli and people I know and trust told me he was the best centre-back in Italy during that period.
“This season will be the Premier League for him and it might be fine for the way Tuchel wants to play.
He has similarities with Rudiger – he’s very good at running with the ball, he’s good with both feet.
With the help of “is he a little too good?” We’ll see what happens at Chelsea.
“Like I said, in Italy he was good because he was so fast, but I doubt he will be as dominant here.”
Koulibaly has been signed by Chelsea as a replacement for Antonio Rudiger, who has joined Real.
Benitez has also suggested that while Koulibaly’s aerial ability was not the best, he was always willing to try and improve and take advice from coaches.
“Aerial ability wasn’t his greatest strength, but in Italy, that mattered a bit less and that was fine,” he said.
“It will be interesting to see how that plays out in the Premier League, but he has always been keen to learn.
“He spent time with me and my staff after practices to work on his head and improve his technique.”
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel had been chasing Koulibaly all summer as he needed defensive reinforcements following the departures of centre-backs Rudiger and Andreas Christensen, who joined Barcelona after his contract at Stamford Bridge expired.
