Kalidou Koulibaly jumps to the defence of ‘great manager’ Graham Potter

Kalidou Koulibaly has offered some praise to under-fire Chelsea boss Graham Potter, crediting him with not selecting players off their price tag.

Chelsea are in the midst of a dire run that has seen them win just two of their previous 15 Premier League games, while they have scored just the solitary goal in their previous six fixtures across all competitions. 

Supporter opinion appears to be turning against Potter, though the club hierarchy say they remain committed to the former Brighton manager, who replaced Thomas Tuchel back in September. 

Speaking to The Sun, Koulibaly hailed Potter’s communication skills and his equitable view of the playing squad. 

‘Graham Potter is very good at communicating with everyone,’ the defender, who was signed last summer, said.

Kalidou Koulibaly has jumped to the defence of ‘great manager’ Graham Potter

Chelsea find themselves in the midst of a difficult run that has seen pressure mount on Potter

Potter has seen supporter opinion turn against him in recent weeks amid dire run of results

‘And he doesn’t care if you cost £100million or £20m, he will treat you in the same way. That’s the mark of a great manager.’

Question marks have been raised already over some of the January signings, with anonymous accusations popping up in a number of media reports that there are concerns some of those brought in aren’t up to the level.

Two of the most high-profile acquisitions were Mykhailo Mudryk, signed for close to £90m from Shakhtar Donetsk, and Joao Felix, brought in on an expensive six-month loan deal from Atletico Madrid.

‘Felix is known all over the world, he’s a great player, we all know that. Technically he’s very gifted and brings fluency to our game, which we crave,’ Koulibaly said.

‘As for Mudryk he’s very quick, technically on a one v one he’s outstanding and can be a big help for us. But he is a player who needs the ball to make the difference and our job is to get it to him.

‘Every player joining Chelsea needs time to adapt and Mudryk is no different. We’re not worried because we know he will lead us forward.’

Koulibaly has endured a difficult time at Chelsea thus far, with the tumultuous nature of the Todd Boehly/Clearlake Capital takeover seemingly not aiding a smooth bedding-in process. 

Chelsea have signed 17 players since the Roman Abramovich sold the club last spring. 

Despite his feted arrival, however, Koulibaly has started just one league game since Chelsea last won in the competition, a 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace. 

Koulibaly said January signing Mykhailo Mudryk would eventually show his best for the club

Joao Felix has perhaps been the brightest spark of the January cohort – though is only on loan

He was included in the Champions League squad, but has watched his league place slip away to January signing Benoit Badiashile. 

However, he said that he remains unconcerned and confident that he will show the club’s supporters his best. 

‘It’s not a difficult season but I need time to adapt and I knew that. When I decided to come here I was well aware that it wouldn’t be easy,’ he said. 

I have a three-year contract and I am calm. I have time to show everybody who I am.