New £33.8million signing Kalidou Koulibaly has already highlighted what Chelsea fans can expect from him after being asked about his own playing style.
Koulibaly was confirmed as the Blues' second summer signing on Saturday, following Raheem Sterling to west London. And with Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger having left the club, his arrival is an important one for Thomas Tuchel.
But what will he bring to the team? In a question and answer segment on the official Chelsea Instagram account, the 31-year-old provided an insight into his strengths and what he will bring to the west Londoners' backline.
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"As a player, I like to defend, I like the one against one," he said. " I want to be the security of the team. I want to help all the team to be relaxed and to attack good."
An old-school defender immediately springs to mind when assessing the 6ft 1in centre-back's best qualities without the ball and certainly he will need to offer a similar impact to the one Antonio Rudiger provided, who left the club on a free transfer earlier this summer. But what's worth noting is that Koulibaly is far from just an out-and-out defender. The former Napoli star offers progressive characteristics that will elevate Chelsea's on-the-ball quality.
It's very evident that Thomas Tuchel advocates on his side to the build through the thirds in an effective and efficient manner, within their 3-4-3 baseline formation. This shape morphs into a 3-2-5 structure during the build-up phase, with the backline tasked with offering composure and press resistance, whilst executing forward passes that quickens the transition from defence to attack.
Koulibaly as stated earlier wants to help the team 'to attack good'. Reading between the lines, he is emphasising on the importance of giving the forwards the platform to flourish, which is done by performing quick actions on the ball, which is what he does.
Whether it's a line-breaking pass from deep, a diagonal switch towards the wide areas or carrying the ball forward, he offers many different qualities in possession. Koulibaly joins Raheem Sterling as Chelsea's second signing of the summer, with both already being put through their paces following the club's 2-1 victory over Mexican giants Club America. The duo will hope to make their non-competitive debuts in the early hours of Thursday against American outfit Charlotte FC.
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