"I will play again" - Chelsea's new signing sends strong message to manager Graham Potter after being dropped 

New Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly has vowed to return to the Blues' XI after being dropped by manager Graham Potter.

The Senegalese centre-back arrived at Stamford Bridge from Serie A side Napoli this past summer for £34.2 million whilst former manager Thomas Tuchel was at the helm.

Koulibaly grabbed his first goal for the Blues in the 2-2 draw against Tottenham Hotspur on August 14. He has made six appearances so far.

However, it has been a difficult start to the season for Koulibaly and his performances have been criticized.

Potter dropped the defender to the bench for his first game in charge, deploying right-back Cesar Azpilucueta in a central role and Marc Cucurella at left-back.

It has led to question marks over Koulibaly's place in Potter's starting XI, however, he has vowed to return to the team in an interview with Le Quotidien.

The Senegalese defender started by lauding the qualities of new manager Potter:

"The new coach came with some good ideas. He’s a real coach. He did some good things with Brighton. Now he is a Chelsea manager."

He continued,

"He has guidelines, expectations. It’s up to me to be patient, it’s up to me to show that I deserve to play, to show in training that the coach can trust me."

Koulibaly then touched on Potter's decision to go for Azpilicueta at centre-back given his experience of playing for the Blues:

"Compared to this, there will be no problem. We are also in the first weeks, it is normal for the coach to rely on players who are used to the emblem of Chelsea and who have been there for a very long time."

The former Napoli centre-back then concluded by stating that he was sure he would be back in the starting XI:

"When I will be at 100%, there will be no problem, I will play again."

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Koulibaly touches on his transfer from Napoli to Chelsea

Koulibaly spent eight years at Napoli

Koulibaly has also discussed his decision to head from Naples to west London this past summer.

The centre-back made 317 appearances during his time at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, winning the Coppa Italia in 2020 and the Italian Super Cup in 2015.

The Senegalese defender said the decision to move to the Premier League club was an easy one (via the aforementioned source):

"You know, it’s a life choice. I wanted to change clubs. I felt like I’d given everything to Napoli. There came a point where I wanted to change life, challenge myself and throw myself into a new challenge."

He added:

"Chelsea arrived and it didn’t take long for me to choose. They’re one of the five best clubs in the world, with a great history; a team that’s used to winning."