"He’s making a right pig's ear of it, isn’t he?" - Peter Crouch delivers damning verdict on new Chelsea signing 

Former Liverpool striker Peter Crouch has admonished Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly for his lackluster performances in John Terry's iconic No. 26 shirt.

The retired England international spoke about retiring shirt numbers on That Peter Crouch Podcast.

Koulibaly joined Chelsea from Napoli for £34 million during the summer window. He asked club legend Terry for the #26 shirt that the Englishman wore for a long time before leaving the club in 2017. Post that, no other Chelsea player took the shirt but Terry gave Koulibaly permission to wear it.

When asked for his opinion on the matter, Crouch said (via the Daily Star):

"For John Terry at Chelsea, that probably warrants it."

The former Premier League forward added in criticism of Koulibaly:

“Obviously, that Koulibaly has come in and gone ‘can I take the 26?’ You know because JT [Terry] is obviously retired. He’s come in, he’s took it, and he’s making a right pig's ear of it isn’t he?”

The Senegal international got off to a great start at Stamford Bridge, scoring on his debut for the Blues in a 2-2 draw against Tottenham Hotspur on August 14.

The 31-year-old defender belted the ball into the back of the net with a breathtaking volley, assisted by Marc Cucurella's corner set-piece.

However, Koulibaly quickly suffered a dip in form and began to seem unreliable at the back. The Senegalese defender was sent off after picking up two yellow cards in Chelsea's 3-0 defeat against Leeds United.

The west London side have kept just one clean sheet in the league so far which came in their 1-0 win over Everton on the opening gameweek.

Chelsea will next face Crystal Palace in the Premier League at Selhurst Park on October 1.

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Peter Crouch shares thoughts on Chelsea signing's unfamiliar position under new manager Graham Potter

The former Tottenham Hotspur striker commented on Chelsea forward Raheem Sterling being deployed in an unfamiliar position by new manager Graham Potter.

Potter debuted as the London side's manager in a 1-1 draw against Red Bull Salzburg in the UEFA Champions League on September 15.

The Englishman lined up his side in a 3-4-3 formation, with Sterling and Reece James providing width on the flanks. Thiago Silva, Cesar Azpilicueta and Marc Cucurella played as centre-backs.

However, Crouch believes the England international was deployed much further up the pitch. He said (via the Daily Express):

"Yeah that’s the thing you can’t pigeonhole it, it’s three-at-the-back obviously and you would say on paper he [Sterling] would be a left wing-back but he is far higher, and I think he is going to get more space here. I am not sure, I thought he might be unhappy with it because he wants to be within the sticks scoring goals but the way he is playing tonight doesn’t look like it, he has been magnificent."

He added:

“He looked like an old-school winger at times. Getting one-on-one, taking little touches and getting crosses in, coming inside and getting shots off. I think it could really suit him and I think he has also got a good relationship with Cucurella down that side.”

Sterling joined the Blues from Manchester City for £47.5 million earlier this summer. He has scored four goals and provided one assist in eight matches so far.