Kalidou Koulibaly defended his time at Chelsea after confirming his move from Stamford Bridge, stressing he was disappointed by the "coach and the club" decision and was not given guaranteed game time. The Senegal international completed his move to Saudi Professional League club Al-Hilal on Sunday, leaving West London just a year after his £32 million move from Napoli.
Koulibaly was tasked with filling the gap left by Antonio Rüdiger and Andreas Christensen. He has struggled for the club during this turbulent season, playing under three managers – Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter, and interim manager Frank Lampard.
His arrival at Chelsea was joined by Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiachile, and with Levi Colville poised for a first-team role under Mauricio Pochettino, Kouliably quickly looked overwhelmed once the 2022-23 squad was drafted. After signing his transfer to Saudi Arabia, the center-back has now admitted he is not happy with his often-benched role at Chelsea - he has only started 20 of 38 league games.
He also stressed that "manager and club choices" prevented him from regaining his best form in England and continued to ensure he would be playing regularly ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations in Senegal early next year.
"I have no guarantees that I will get regular playing time [at Chelsea], I have always been a professional but I don't like sitting on the bench doing nothing," the defender said in an interview with Corriere dello Sport. "I prefer a place where I am wanted and at the center of a project and can be a role model for young players."
"The Premier League is fantastic and there are a lot of great players. They expected Koulibaly from Napoli but I don't think my season has been that bad.
"I need time and I can't prove what I want in a year because of the choice of the coach and the club."
“My time has come and I have to make a decision. My teammates have sent me so many messages, all of them apologizing, but I need to get ready for AFCON.
"That's the most important thing for me. Senegal wants to win again, but it won't be easy."
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