William Gallas believes Kalidou Koulibaly can become a Chelsea legend - and says they should have signed him years ago.
Former Chelsea title winner Gallas said: “He’s strong and we’ve been waiting for him to come to the Premier League for such a long time - it was a shame that he couldn’t come earlier! I think that the fans will love him. They will love him because in England, we like this type of defender: strong, quick and making tackles.
“He talks a lot and he has the hunger to fight. He is a fighter. After one or two tackles, I’m telling you, they will have a song for him at Stamford Bridge. It is very difficult to pass him. He is very powerful.
“I think he will suit the Premier League really well. I think he may be a little bit surprised by the intensity of the game in his first matches. He will have to be careful in his first few matches.”
Gallas, in an interview with Genting Casino, did have a warning for Koulibaly that the Premier League is much tougher than Serie A, as he remembers to his own cost ignoring advice from Marcel Desailly.
The Frenchman added: “My advice to him is to be careful, because in the Premier League the strikers are really strong and I know what I’m talking about (laughs).
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“I had the same experience when I arrived from Marseille. I will always remember making my debut playing next to Marcel Desailly and he said: ‘William, be careful here. It is not like in France. You will have to run and chase a striker, not once, or twice, but probably ten times in a game.’
“I said to him: ‘Marcel, it will be OK. Don’t worry. Oh my god!’ After 10 minutes I was tired! It was like I had been hit by a train. I said: ‘Marcel, I can't play like this for 90 minutes!’ He looked at me and smiled and said: “I told you! You have to!”
