Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy has spoken very highly of his side’s new signing Kalidou Koulibaly.
The centre-back’s arrival at the Blues was confirmed by the club on Saturday morning, and is the second addition to the west London side after Raheem Sterling.
Koulibaly has joined Chelsea after eight seasons at Napoli, signing for the west London outfit on an initial four-year-deal in a deal worth around £34 million.
Such a move means the 31-year-old is now teammates with Mendy for both club and country, with the duo both regularly featuring for the Senegal national team.
They were part of the African Cup of Nations winning side from earlier in the year, with Koulibaly captaining his country to the title for the first time in their history.
Edouard Mendy is now entering his third season at Chelsea. (Alamy)
He now arrives at Chelsea as one of their new defensive signings for the summer, with the club sealing the transfer of one of their long-term targets.
Speaking to the official club website upon the arrival of his international teammate, Mendy revealed his delight of seeing Koulibaly put pen to paper on a deal at Stamford Bridge.
The goalkeeper said: “I’ve known Kalidou for a while now. He was the first one who welcomed me in the national team so we were in the same room at first, when I first met him, when I got my first call-up, so the feeling was amazing.
“If you talk about his qualities on the pitch, I think I will let the people and the Chelsea fans see this player and I hope they will enjoy watching him. He’s a top player, as everybody knows, but he is a top person and that’s why in the dressing room he’s a very good addition.”
Mendy also added: “He is a guy who likes the responsibility, but also he can joke with everyone, so we need this kind of person. And I think everybody’s going to be happy with him and what they see.
“Every year we had this – the link with Chelsea and Kalidou in the media – and this year it happens so I am happy!”
Koulibaly has a depth of experience to his name thanks to his time at Napoli and now provides Thomas Tuchel’s side with another option for their backline heading into the new campaign.
He was in attendance for their opening pre-season fixture against Club America on Sunday, with the Blues winning 2-1 against their Mexican opponents.
https://www.sportbible.com/absolute-chelsea/edouard-mendy-chelsea-kalidou-koulibaly-transfer-20220717
