Why Badiashile's form pushes Koulibaly closer to Chelsea exit

Cameron Smith

• Updated: 21 Jan 2023 20:59 GMT
• 4 min read

Chelsea's signing of Benoit Badiashile was questioned by some, but the Frenchman's arrival has immediately solidified the Blues' backline.

The 21-year-old has been a calming presence next to veteran Thiago Silva and has kept clean sheets in both his appearances for Chelsea so far - against Crystal Palace and Liverpool.

In fact, those shut-outs represent Chelsea's first back-to-back clean sheets since October; the attack may be faltering, but the defence hasn't been rock solid either.

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The former AS Monaco man has carried over his ball-playing skills from Ligue 1 and his physical frame has helped Chelsea massively in the air.

On his Blues debut against Crystal Palace, Badiashile was almost perfect. On the defensive side of things, he made nine clearances and four tackles, while he coupled that with a 96% pass accuracy and three accurate long balls.

He was similarly composed away at Anfield and looks to have improved the Chelsea XI straight away.

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With fellow left-footed centre-back Levi Colwill set to return from his loan spell at Brighton & Hove Albion this summer, Badiashile was deemed a slightly unnecessary addition, but his impact has been plentiful already.

As a result, it's seen the erratic Kalidou Koulibaly removed from the starting XI following a series of bad performances, and Badiashile's form is pushing the former Napoli star towards a Stamford Bridge exit.

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The big-money signing is now almost surplus to requirements at Chelsea. Trevoh Chalobah will become another option at centre-back once Reece James returns to action, while the aforementioned Colwill is rated very highly by those at Cobham and will return to the fold this summer.

Although Thiago Silva's contract is set to expire in June, he signed a one-year extension this time last year and could well choose to extend his stay in West London by a further 12 months given his form since arriving at Stamford Bridge. If that happens, then Koulibaly will certainly be left questioning where he fits in at the club.

Given Wesley Fofana's injury problems, Koulibaly will most likely stick around if Siva doesn't sign a new deal, but a roster of: Fofana, Silva, Colwill, Badiashile and Chalobah, plus James and Marc Cucurella who can both play centre-back in a back three, leaves little room for Koulibaly. His days might be numbered already.

The Senegal international was arguably the best centre-back in Serie A for five years before leaving Napoli, but it's clear that the physical demands of the Premier League may be too much for him at 31 years old. Taiwo Awoniyi ran him ragged at the City Ground on New Year's Day, while Fulham's back-up striker Carlos Vinicius also caused him problems in Chelsea's defeat at Craven Cottage.

He may be a useful squad player, but it's clear that Koulibaly won't be a key member of this Chelsea side moving forward and the Blues may look to cash in if a suitable bid comes in. The Telegraph have even reported the Blues will look to cut their losses on Koulibaly if an offer arrives from Italy this summer.

To write him off would be slightly harsh, given how poor Chelsea have been as a unit this term, but it's clear that Badiashile has been an immediate upgrade on Koulibaly, which will be a massive concern for his future at the club, and will be pushing him closer to a departure than ever before.