Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly provides future update

Jacque Talbot

• 9 Apr 2023 21:09 BST
• 3 min read

Kalidou Koulibaly has expressed his commitment to remaining at the club for the foreseeable future.

Despite a difficult season for Chelsea as a whole, with the team currently 11th in the Premier League standings, the former Napoli centre-back had been a regular starter under Graham Potter and has played every minute of the temporary reigns of both Bruno Saltor and Frank Lampard, making 30 appearances in all competitions.

Although his individual future at the club is not certain, Koulibaly is eager to repay Chelsea's faith in him and be part of the team for many years to come. He also praised Potter for his work with the team this season and thanked him for his support during a difficult time of transition.

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“I know I’m not at 100% yet, but think I’m coming to my level,” he told The Times. “Chelsea made a big decision to sign me and there’s a big desire in me to give back. I want to be part of this club for many years.

"This is not the year Chelsea were expecting, but sometimes when you have big changes, new proprietors, and half the team is new, everybody has to adapt. But we know how big the ambition is here and we’re going to work to win back the confidence of the supporters.”

Koulibaly on Potter

Koulibaly was keen to give credit to Potter for his work with the team this season, the manager who was sacked from Chelsea earlier this month.

“It has been a crazy week: for the players, the new manager, the ex-manager, for the supporters," he explained. “When you change managers, it’s like you failed somewhere. You have to keep on fighting, and we’ll give everything. Our new manager is a big legend, so we have to be behind him. We know we can do better — and we will.

"I sent [Potter] a message. He helped me a lot. It was difficult for me at first, changing country and moving everything after eight years [at Napoli] and I can tell him thank you. He’ll have a good future.”