New Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly has confirmed that he will retain the no.26 that he wore in pre-season with a tribute towards iconic defender John Terry.
The Senegalese centre-back joined the club from Italian giants Napoli this summer in a £34m deal, and took the no.26 during pre-season as a temporary shirt.
Koulibaly had worn the no.26 since his first season in Naples in 2014, but the number had been left vacant in west London since John Terry left the club in 2017.
However, Koulibaly took to social media to announce that, following pre-season, he would be taking the number on a permanent basis, and even called John Terry to get the former Chelsea star’s seal of approval on the decision.
📌 July 15th, 2022
Better call…@JohnTerry26 💙
Honored and Proud 🙏🏿#KK @ChelseaFC pic.twitter.com/uYeVA5y7PL— Koulibaly Kalidou (@kkoulibaly26) August 1, 2022
Chelsea’s business far from done
Despite the solid signings of Koulibaly and Raheem Sterling, Chelsea are still far from done in the transfer market.
They are still planning on recruiting another two centre-backs if possible, having already seen several slip through their fingers this summer, as they look to repair the damage done by the the departures of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen, both of whom left on free transfers.
A deal for Wesley Fofana would be pricey, but the Leicester City defender is among the options considered to bolster the heart of defence at Stamford Bridge, while they have also been knocked back in their pursuit of Josko Gvardiol.
One deal that is progressing, however, is Marc Cucurella’s potential arrival. The Brighton defender is in talks with Chelsea after Manchester City deemed a move for the Spaniard too costly, and it is thought that a deal is progressing well.
Chelsea are pushing to hijack Marc Cucurella deal! Direct talk today with Brighton – Levi Colwill could be part of the negotiation. 🚨🔵 #CFC
Personal terms negotiation, in the next hours. Man City will not improve last bid: £40m, rejected by Brighton.
First call @CraigHope_DM pic.twitter.com/Md7hJpAFkU— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 1, 2022
