Rio Ferdinand cautions Chelsea against signing Kalidou Koulibaly
Speaking on BT Sport (h/t Evening Standard), Rio Ferdinand believes Chelsea will be taking a massive gamble if they pursue Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly.
The 29-year-old is widely considered to be one of the top defenders in the world.
Chelsea meanwhile are in need of defensive reinforcement this summer. The club has struggled at the back all season and this has become an Achilles heel in our aim to succeed.
The deficiencies were laid bare by Bayern Munich as they romped home to a 4-1 win last night. Not only was it a humbling lesson for Chelsea but also brought the club’s 2019-20 campaign to a close.
Speaking on the issue, Ferdinand believes a move for Koulibaly might not be in Chelsea’s best interests. At 29, he is not a long-term option and will see his value depreciate once he hits his 30s.
“It’s dead money. You spend £70-80m to get him and that’s dead money, from a business perspective.”
Koulibaly has also failed to hit his usual standards this season. The Senegalese also had a night to forget against Barcelona.
He showed a lack of awareness to give away a poor penalty and looked out of sorts all game. If anything, he looked far from the imperious player that he is often depicted as.
Every transfer comes with a risk. However, given Koulibaly’s age and also his recent dip in form, Ferdinand’s assessment seems spot on. It is now up to Chelsea to decide what is best for them.
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Spending big money on a single players makes sense provided he has a transformative effect on the team as a whole.
In hindsight, no one could have predicted the turnaround Virgil van Dijk brought about for Liverpool. Just two years on, the mammoth fee paid for him looks to be money well spent.
Chelsea should hope for the same if we decide to go big on a player. After all, our move for Kepa Arrizabalaga has shown us not all record transfers need be a hit.