Chelsea supporters have been told that they should "not belittle" Kalidou Koulibaly following the Senegalese defender's slow start to life at Stamford Bridge.
Signed by Thomas Tuchel for a fee reported to be worth £34million in July, Koulibaly appeared off the pace during the five Premier League matches he has figured in and has been left on the bench by Tuchel's predecessor Graham Potter for the last two matches - with the Blues picking up a late winner against Crystal Palace thanks to Conor Gallagher.
Potter elected for a back four at Selhurst Park, with Thiago Silva and Wesley Fofana the two centre-backs. Though Silva may have been lucky to avoid a red card after the referee judged he had not denied an obvious goalscoring opportunity when deliberately knocking the ball away from Jordan Ayew with his hand.
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Nonetheless, Blues fans have been told by former Udinese player Valerio Bertotto to hold fire with their criticism of Koulibaly, whilst backing Koulibaly to replicate the success he enjoyed in Naples.
Bertotto told Calcio Napoli 24 report: "One should not belittle a champion like Kalidou. [He] did well at Napoli and will continue to do well at Chelsea."
Kim Min-jae, Koulibaly's replacement at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, has won a number of plaudits after signing for the club, subsequently being linked with a Premier League move as well. He reportedly flew to England this summer with Tottenham and Everton said to have an interest in his signature.
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