Comparing Kalidou Koulibaly’s 2021-22 stats to Chelsea’s centre-backs

Chelsea look set to sign Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli – but will he improve Thomas Tuchel’s squad? We’ve had a look at his stats to find out.

The 31-year-old defender has constantly been linked with English clubs in recent years, particularly Manchester United and Manchester City, and according to the latest reports he’s finally set to arrive in the Premier League.

Chelsea have been linked with a number of centre-backs over the summer transfer window, from Juventus’ Matthijs De Ligt to Sevilla’s Jules Kounde, with gaps to fill in Tuchel’s squad.

The Blues are looking particularly light at the back following the departures of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen to Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively.

“Chelsea are prepared to make an official bid for Koulibaly – and they want to be fast because Matthijs de Ligt is getting closer to joining Bayern Munich,” transfer guru Fabrizio Romano revealed, speaking on his YouTube channel.

“Bayern have an agreement for De Ligt so Chelsea are pushing hard for Koulibaly – and the player is attracted by the Premier League experience.

“But Chelsea want to be fast because there are many clubs interested in signing a centre-back and they need to find an agreement with Napoli.”

Koulibaly has established a reputation as one of Europe’s best defenders in recent years, playing a key role as Napoli have challenged for the Serie A title.

He’s made over 300 appearances for the Italian club since he joined from Genk back in 2014, and is captain of the Senegal national team, leading the Lions of Teranga to their first-ever AFCON triumph – as well as World Cup qualification – earlier this year.

But how does he compare to the players he’ll be replacing, and the options currently at Tuchel’s disposal?

We’ve taken a look at how Koulibaly’s stats in Serie A last season stack up against the corresponding Premier League output of Thiago Silva, Malang Sarr and Trevoh Chalobah, as well as Rudiger and Christensen for context. We haven’t included Cesar Azpilicueta, who made the majority of his appearances as a wing-back last term.

Successful tackles per 90 minutes (success rate)
Trevoh Chalobah – 2.5 (86.2%)
Malang Sarr – 2.3 (74.2%)
Kalidou Koulibaly – 1.5 (78.9%)
Antonio Rudiger – 1.4 (74.2%)
Thiago Silva – 1.1 (73.3%)
Andreas Christensen – 0.8 (80%)

Successful aerial duels per 90 minutes (success rate)
Andreas Christensen – 2.9 (54.7%)
Malang Sarr – 2.1 (63.6%)
Trevoh Chalobah – 2.0 (52.6%)
Thiago Silva – 1.9 (63.3%)
Kalidou Koulibaly – 1.8 (54.5%)
Antonio Rudiger – 1.7 (73.9%)

Interceptions per 90 minutes
Malang Sarr – 1.8
Andreas Christensen – 1.7
Thiago Silva – 1.5
Trevoh Chalobah – 1.2
Kalidou Koulibaly – 1.1
Antonio Rudiger – 0.8

This is why Kalidou Koulibaly is so highly rated 👊

Matches Kylian Mbappe for pace 💪
Inch-perfect sliding tackle 👌
Panic over 😎

That's why he's nicknamed "The Wall" pic.twitter.com/pDr8VIX4zd

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) November 6, 2018

Fouls per 90 minutes
Malang Sarr – 1.3
Trevoh Chalobah – 1.2
Kalidou Koulibaly – 1.0
Antonio Rudiger – 1.0
Andreas Christensen – 0.7
Thiago Silva – 0.4

Clearances per 90 minutes
Thiago Silva – 3.2
Malang Sarr – 3.1
Kalidou Koulibaly – 3.1
Andreas Christensen – 3.1
Antonio Rudiger – 2.6
Trevoh Chalobah – 2.6

Passing accuracy
Thiago Silva – 92.8%
Trevoh Chalobah – 90.6%
Andreas Christensen – 90%
Malang Sarr – 88.2%
Antonio Rudiger – 88.1%
Kalidou Koulibaly – 86.9%

Passes completed per 90 minutes
Thiago Silva – 89
Andreas Christensen – 79.5
Trevoh Chalobah – 78.8
Malang Sarr – 77
Antonio Rudiger – 74
Kalidou Koulibaly – 61.4

Goals
Kalidou Koulibaly – 3
Antonio Rudiger – 3
Thiago Silva – 3
Trevoh Chalobah – 3
Malang Sarr – 0
Andreas Christensen – 0

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