"A legend for everybody in football" - Kalidou Koulibaly heaps praises on Chelsea teammate, claims he's 'lucky to play with him'
Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly has lauded Thiago Silva as a legend in football. In an interview with GOAL, the Senegalese centre-back claimed he would like it if he could steal the Brazilian's experience.
He said:
"I would steal the experience of Thiago Silva," he said "I’m lucky to play with him today, he’s a really good defender, a legend for everybody in football."
The defender added:
"At 37, to do what he’s doing is really amazing. For me, it would be nice if I could steal his experience.”
It has not been smooth sailing for Koulibaly at Chelsea. After a sensational season in Serie A for Napoli, where he was regularly linked with clubs in the Premier League, the 31-year-old arrived at Stamford Bridge this summer for a fee of around £33 million.
Despite his wealth of experience, he has had an up-and-down first season with the shuffling of managers. It has been a testing time for the Blues as they languish in 11th place in the Premier League.
When quizzed about his other teammates, Koulibaly claimed that Reece James was the fastest, while midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek was the strongest. He added that Mateo Kovacic was the smartest player in the squad.
The Croatian has had a good season for Chelsea under the radar, with the likes of N'Golo Kante suffering a long-term injury and new signing Enzo Fernandez adjusting to life in the Premier League.
Chelsea close to finalising appointment for new manager
Chelsea are set to confirm the hiring of Mauricio Pochettino. The Argentine, who previously managed Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League, will join their cross-town rivals, according to 90min.
Following Graham Potter's sacking last month, the London side launched an extensive search for his successor. They showed an interest in former Bayern Munich manager Julian Nagelsmann and former Barcelona boss Luis Enrique, but Pochettino has now emerged as the favorite to lead them next season.
The report adds that Pochettino will bring his usual support staff, made up of assistants Jesus Perez and Miguel D’Agostino, goalkeeping coach Toni Jimenez, and his sports scientist son Sebastiano Pochettino.
It is also believed that the appointment will come into effect next season. This is despite the fact that interim manager Frank Lampard has had a horrendous start to his second stint as Blues manager.
Five consecutive losses have seen the side slip to the bottom half of the Premier League table and get knocked out of the UEFA Champions League by Real Madrid.