"Fantastic guy, leader in the dressing room" - Thomas Tuchel heaps praise on 31-year-old Chelsea star

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has said that new signing Kalidou Koulibaly is a role model, ahead of the start of the new season.

Koulibaly, who penned a four-year contract at Stamford Bridge earlier last month, joined the Blues from Napoli for a fee of £34 million. The 31-year-old, who featured in two pre-season friendlies against Arsenal and Udinese, is set to earn £8.5 million per year.

At a pre-match press conference ahead of the Blues' Premier League opener at Everton on August 6, Tuchel lauded the Senegal international, saying (via Football London):

"We got always the same feedback: fantastic guy, leader in the dressing room, calm, a role model. When you dig in and start analysing his games, you see the quality of his defending, his body positioning; he uses left and right foot for build-up, and he is very experienced. So when we had the chance, we went for it."

Koulibaly was at the heart of Napoli's defence for eight seasons, helping them lift two trophies. He featured in 317 games across competitions for them, registering 14 goals and eight assists.

Meanwhile, apart from Koulibaly, the Blues have also signed forward Raheem Sterling from Manchester City and midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka from Aston Villa this summer.

Asked if he was surprised to land Sterling, Tuchel added:

"Surprised is not the right word. Any player with a one year contract, you can try. We had the feeling he would be the perfect fit for us at this stage of his career, and he felt happy to make this step and join a new club and take on more responsiblity at this stage of his career. So, we tried, and we succeeded."

Speaking about Chelsea's goals for the new season, he continued:

"I struggle a little bit to keep our ambitions down. I don't want to lower our ambitions. But I don't want to put the pressure on us. We are a club in transition still."

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