Chelsea are close to signing long-term target Kalidou Koulibaly this summer, with the Napoli defender lined-up as the Blues' first defensive incoming of the transfer window.
Koulibaly has been one of Europe's most prominent defenders for nearly a decade, so it’s no surprise that Chelsea are trying to sign the Napoli defender to bolster their squad this summer. Having already lost Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen in the transfer window, the Blues have a list of players shortlisted, with Koulibaly at the top.
Since new American co-owner Todd Boehly arrived at Stamford Bridge, other defenders like Nathan Aké and Matthijs de Ligt have been on manager Thomas Tuchel's radar, but recent reports have placed Koulibaly ahead of both and the closest to a move to Stamford Bridge. It comes after Chelsea announced the signing of England international Raheem Sterling for some attacking prowess after letting Romelu Lukaku return to Inter Milan on a season-long loan.
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With Koulibaly, 31, set to join what is already a very promising young Chelsea squad and provide some experience, how much of an impact will he make in his debut season? We simulated the 2022/23 with Koulibaly at Chelsea to see how he'd adapt to life in the Premier League.
Koulibaly clicks with Chelsea in his debut season
For this simulation to happen, we used the in-game editor for Football Manage 2022 to allow the transfer of Koulibaly to Chelsea at the start of the 2022 summer transfer window. Along with the Senegal international, we also transferred Sterling to the Blues.
Judging by his in-game statistics, Koulibaly has the ability to completely shut down attackers - his Strength (19), Marking (18), Tackling (17), Pace (17) and Positioning (16) makes him one of the best defenders in the Premier League. Paired with the youth of Trevor Chalobah and the experience of Thiago Silva, opponents will have a tough task breaking down Chelsea's defence this season.
In our simulation, Koulibaly adapted to life in England extremely well - making 39 appearances in all competitions. He had four goals in his debut season along with three assists, with his two Champions League goals coming against Borussia Dortmund in a 3-2 Group Stage win.
He also won more headers than anyone else in the squad with 455 won from 562 attempted, a rate of 81%. Koulibaly also helped Chelsea to have the third most Tackles Won (547) behind Southampton (563) and Leeds (549), the second most Clean Sheets (17) behind Manchester City (25), and second most Possession Won (4016), also finishing behind Man City (4103).
At the end of the season, FM22 released the Best XI from the Chelsea squad, using player statistics, league data and other measures to complete the team. Here’s Chelsea’s Best XI for the 2022/23 season according to our simulation.
Full Chelsea Best XI (5-2-2-1): Mendy; James, Silva, Chalobah, Koulibaly, Chilwell; Kante, Kovacic; Mount, Sterling; Havertz.
New signings Koulibaly and Sterling both make the Best XI with average ratings of 7.13 and 7.46 respectively, with German forward Kai Havertz leading the line as the club's highest goalscorer with 23 goals in all competitions. Kouliably was joined by Silva and Chalobah in defence, whilst Mateo Kovacic and N'Golo Kante sat in front of the back line.
So, Koulibaly had a good individual season, but how much did it affect Chelsea’s campaign? Let's take a look
Chelsea’s 2022/23 season overall from the simulation
Domestically, Chelsea had an up-and-down campaign - finishing second in the Premier League behind an Invincible, Centurion Man City side. Seven points clear of Liverpool in third and 12 clear of Arsenal in fourth meant a good finish for the Blues, as the simulation gave them six more wins than in the last real-life season along with 12 more points.
They also conceded only 28 goals, some eight goals fewer than last season.
However, both domestic cup competitions couldn't have gone any worse. Two immediate exits, first in the Carabao Cup Third Round in an embarrassing loss to AFC Wimbledon and then a 3-2 loss to Southampton in the FA Cup Third Round meant the Blues could only focus on the league and the UCL.
Group F went well for Chelsea - despite being placed with Atalanta, Dortmund and Dinamo Zagreb, they finished top with 13 points. A 3-2 victory over Spanish giants Barcelona before a 5-2 win on aggregate against Paris Saint-Germain meant a trip to Milan to face Inter in the semi-finals. A 2-2 draw in the first leg set up an exciting tie but a 2-1 loss in extra time after two Lautaro Martínez goals meant the Blues would win no silverware in this simulated 2022/23 season.
Overall, it was a great individual debut season for Koulibaly who paired well alongside Chalobah and Silva to get Chelsea that extra bit closer to Man City in the table. For Chelsea, it didn't help them win any silverware but with a young squad, patience is required to let the team gel well together - maybe this season will turn out different in real life and Chelsea can make a serious run at the title? We'll have to wait and see.
Let us know if you want Koulibaly at Chelsea in the comments below!
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