Kalidou Koulibaly has left Chelsea after only one season to join Saudi Professional League side Al-Hilal.

Senegal captain Koulibaly moved to England last summer from Napoli on a four-year deal in a transfer reported to be worth £34million.

The centre-back went on to make 32 appearances for Chelsea during a difficult season, but has now departed Stamford Bridge

A club statement read: “We would like to thank Kalidou for his contributions on and off the pitch during his time at Stamford Bridge and wish him well for the next stage of his career.”

Koulibaly is not the first Chelsea player to make the move to Saudi Arabia. N’Golo Kante agreed to join Al-Ittihad on a free transfer following the expiration of his deal with the Blues.

A number of high-profile names have moved to the Saudi Professional League during the past six months.

Karim Benzema has already agreed to join Al-Ittihad after 14 seasons at Real Madrid, following Cristiano Ronaldo who moved to Al Nassr from Manchester United in December.

Wolves captain Ruben Neves has also agreed a £47m move to Al-Hilal.

After Koulibaly and Kante, Chelsea outcasts Edouard Mendy, Romelu Lukaku and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have also been linked with moves to the Gulf state.

Chelsea's disappointing season has created speculation about several of their key players' futures.

The Blues are mid-table in the Premier League and will miss out on Champions League qualification next term.

It has been a tumultuous season, with Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter both axed under their new ownership led by Todd Boehly.

TOP STORY – REAL MADRID OPEN HAVERTZ TALKS

Real Madrid have commenced negotiations with Chelsea about a possible off-season move for Kai Havertz, reports 90min.

Los Blancos view the 23-year-old German forward as a potential successor for veteran striker Karim Benzema.

Madrid are eager to reinforce their offensive options in the next transfer window. Bayern Munich are known to be admirers of Havertz too.

ROUND-UP

– Gazzetta dello Sport claims Juventus are planning a move to bring Chelsea's Kalidou Koulibaly back to Italy as he is unhappy at Stamford Bridge.

– Liverpool's interest in RB Leipzig's Josko Gvardiol has cooled given the German club's £80m valuation which they believe is too high, according to Football Insider.

– The Mirror reports Paris Saint-Germain are considering selling Neymar in the off-season with his contract up in 2025. Chelsea and one other Premier League club are interested.

– Real Madrid are preparing a new contract offer for Eduardo Camavinga amid links with Premier League clubs, reports Fabrizio Romano. The Frenchman wants to remain with Madrid.

– The Sun claims Manchester City are plotting a move for Brentford full back Aaron Hickey who is expected to cost around £30m.

– There is no truth to speculation linking Barcelona with a move for Chelsea's Reece James, according to Fabrizio Romano. James signed a long-term deal last year.

Chelsea caretaker manager Frank Lampard believes the club must focus on their own project, and ignore outside opinion.

The Blues have struggled this season despite investing an eye-watering amount of money on players in the last two transfer windows, sitting in 11th place in the Premier League after 30 games.

Chelsea face Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday, who are four places above them, and the Seagulls have continued to thrive under boss Roberto De Zerbi ever since the London club took their previous head coach, Graham Potter, from them in September.

"I think Brighton is a fantastic model. You can track their last five, six, seven years and see good progression... and that's their path," Lampard said at a press conference on Friday.

"Chelsea's path is a different one, a club that's been hugely successful for a long period of time. Maybe a club where there is different transition of ownership, players that have left, bringing in players for the future.

"You can look around and see models everywhere, the work Arsenal have done and everyone was judging them, the owner and manager, now it's a fantastic model. 

"You have to understand when you're in a project, there are moments you have to dig in... I don't think it's important for us to focus on opinion."

Lampard confirmed he will be without Kalidou Koulibaly for the next few games after the defender suffered a hamstring injury in Wednesday's 2-0 first-leg defeat to Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu in the Champions League quarter-finals.

"He won't be available for either game [Brighton or the second leg v Madrid]. It's a hamstring injury, so it'll be a matter of weeks rather than days," he said.

Reports have suggested the club has triggered a clause in the contract of midfielder Enzo Fernandez to add another year to his already lengthy eight-year deal, in order to help spread their costs out further.

The World Cup winner joined Chelsea for a club record fee of £106.8m (€121m) in January, and Lampard has been impressed. 

"I can't confirm [the contract story] because I don't know, actually, I've got enough on my plate without dissecting everyone's contracts at the club," he said. "The only thing I'll say is that, working with Enzo, he's been a standout character and player for me in this last week in terms of attitude and quality.

"Even though he's only been here a short time I think he's a fantastic player for this club going forward, and exactly the kind of profile we're talking about [to take Chelsea forward]."

Kalidou Koulibaly acknowledges his debut campaign at Chelsea has not gone to plan, but the Senegal international remains committed to spending "many years" with the Blues.

Koulibaly left Napoli for Stamford Bridge in a £33.8million (€40m) deal last July, as part of a huge spending spree sanctioned in Chelsea's first transfer window under the Todd Boehly regime.

However, Chelsea have endured a dire first campaign since their change of owner, sitting 11th in the Premier League table after sacking two bosses in Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter.

Caretaker manager Frank Lampard oversaw a 1-0 defeat to Wolves in his first game at the helm on Saturday, leaving the London side 17 points adrift of the Champions League places.

While Koulibaly admits he has not performed to the best of his abilities since arriving in the Premier League, he is keen to make amends in future campaigns.

"I know I'm not at 100 per cent yet, but I think I'm coming to my level," he told The Times. "Chelsea made a big decision to sign me and there's a big desire in me to give back. 

"I want to be part of this club for many years. This is not the year Chelsea were expecting, but sometimes when you have big changes, new owners, and half the team is new, everybody has to adapt.

"But we know how big the ambition is here and we're going to work to win back the confidence of the supporters."

Koulibaly believes the squad must accept responsibility for the coaching changes that have blighted Chelsea's campaign, adding: "When you change managers, it's like you failed somewhere. 

"You have to keep on fighting, and we'll give everything. Our new manager is a big legend, so we have to be behind him. We know we can do better – and we will."

Chelsea's most recent defeat was their seventh on the road in the Premier League this season. They last lost more away games in a single campaign in 2000-01 (eight).

Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly wants to avoid Napoli in the next round of the Champions League in the hope of a potential final against his former club.

Two-time European champions Chelsea beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0 on Tuesday to progress to the quarter-finals in a 2-1 aggregate victory. 

Meanwhile, Napoli lead 2-0 in their last-16 tie against Eintracht Frankfurt ahead of the second leg next week and have emerged as one of the tournament's favourites given their 15-point lead in Serie A.

Koulibaly left the Partenopei for Chelsea at the start of the season and is keen for any reunion to be delayed until June.

"I hope to meet them as far away as possible," Koulibaly told Sky Sports. "Maybe in the final in Istanbul would be better.

"We know how important Napoli is to me, but now I'm focused on my team.

"If we meet them, we will do everything to win, but I hope it is as far as possible because I also wish them to go a long way, and why not face us in the final?"

A second straight victory for Chelsea in all competitions followed a run of just two wins in 15 before last weekend.

The poor run has Graham Potter's side in 10th in the Premier League, raising doubts about the head coach's future.

"It was a bit of a difficult moment," added Koulibaly. "We knew that this game was fundamental for us; we wanted to win it at all costs.

"We played a great game, I think, and we showed the intensity we had to show. We wanted to win at all costs, and we can be happy."

Next for Chelsea is an away trip to Leicester City on Saturday, with the Champions League quarter-final draw taking place on March 17.

Debutant Joao Felix's red card proved costly as Carlos Vinicius earned Fulham a 2-1 win over west London rivals Chelsea that piles even more pressure on head coach Graham Potter.

Joao Felix was named in injury-hit Chelsea's starting line-up, a day after joining on loan from Atletico Madrid, and saw red for a lunge on Kenny Tete shortly before the hour mark.

Chelsea had fought their way back into the match at the time of that dismissal after Kalidou Koulibaly's close-range finish cancelled out former Blues winger Willian's first-half opener at Craven Cottage.

Fulham were without suspended top scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic, but Carlos Vinicius headed in his first Fulham goal in the 73rd minute to land his side a rare win in this fixture and make it six defeats in eight for Chelsea.

Bernd Leno did well to keep out an early Lewis Hall strike in a bright start from Chelsea, with Joao Felix looking particularly lively in the final third.

Fulham soon grew into the game and struck the crossbar through a powerful Bobby Decordova-Reid effort, shortly after Carlos Vinicius had a penalty shout rejected.

However, Willian gave Fulham the lead when Chelsea's defence backed off and allowed the winger to fire away a shot that deflected off Trevoh Chalobah on its way through.

Leno continued to frustrate Chelsea, but he was almost caught out by a Mason Mount free-kick that struck the right-hand post and landed nicely for Koulibaly to squeeze over the line.

Chelsea lost another player to injury when Denis Zakaria hobbled off and then had Joao Felix dismissed for a studs-up challenge on Tete.

More misery was to follow for Chelsea and Potter as Andreas Pereira played in a delightful cross for Carlos Vinicius to get above Chalobah and power home a winning goal at the back post.

Napoli winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is "among the best in the world," according to club legend Marek Hamsik.

The Georgia international, who arrived from Dinamo Batumi in July, has played an instrumental role in Napoli's impressive start to the season, with Luciano Spalletti's side eight points clear at the Serie A summit.

No player has been directly involved in more goals this term than Kvaratskhelia (11 - scored six, assisted five), with his tally only matched by team-mate Victor Osimhen, who is the leading marksman in the Italian top flight (nine).

Unbeaten after 15 games, Napoli's surge has been all the more impressive considering three key players left in the close season, with Kalidou Koulibaly joining Chelsea and all-time top scorer Dries Mertens and Lorenzo Insigne departing on free transfers. 

But Hamsik - the club's record appearance maker (520) - is delighted at how the likes of Kvaratskhelia and Osimhen have stepped up to the plate, along with defender Kim Min-jae.

"Kvara has incredible dribbling ease and he is among the best in the world," the 35-year-old told DAZN. 

"It's incredible to see this Napoli team without the three most important players. 

"Everyone needs symbols, someone to represent the club. For the fans, it was a shame [when those players left].

"But I must say it's good how Napoli took players who play great, getting good results like Kim, Kvara, Osi, and also reduced the wage bill."

Now plying his trade with Turkish side Trabzonspor, Hamsik spent 12 seasons at Napoli and became the club's all-time leading scorer with 121 goals, though he has since been surpassed by Mertens (148) and Insigne (122).

The former Slovakia captain revealed he declined several offers to move away from Naples, but has no regrets over those decisions.

"There were teams that wanted me," he added. "The first was Milan with [Massimiliano] Allegri in 2012, then [Walter] Mazzarri at Inter.

"There was Juve - there were a few calls with [Pavel] Nedved, but I never thought about it.

"I never needed to change. I was happy and renewed five times in 12 years, which is quite a number. The club gave me what I wanted, I was happy, my family too, and the fans loved me more and more."

England must be considered among the world's very best sides and they are capable of going all the way in Qatar, says Kalidou Koulibaly.

The Three Lions defeated Koulibaly's Senegal 3-0 on Sunday at Al Bayt Stadium to seal their place in the last eight of the World Cup.

England, World Cup semi-finalists in 2018 and Euro 2020 finalists last year, are the tournament's leading scorers with 12 goals, while they have conceded only twice across their four matches.

France are next up for England on Saturday and while Koulibaly knows the Les Bleus will provide the sternest of challenges, he believes Gareth Southgate's team have every chance of going even deeper into the tournament.

"They are very good. We know that they have a lot of talent, a lot of big players, we know all of them," Koulibaly told reporters.

"They played very well, they can go far, but the next game will be tough against France. I hope the best will win.

"They have so many options but we know every game is different in the World Cup. You can score a lot in one game and then the next one will be difficult to score.

"They have to keep going and believe it, I think they can go far."

After losing to the Netherlands in their opening Group A match, Senegal – shorn of star player Sadio Mane through injury – beat Qatar and Ecuador to progress in second place, and Koulibaly is happy with what the Africa Cup of Nations champions have achieved in Qatar.

He said: "It was a beautiful tournament for us. We wanted to get out of the group stage, we did it, and now it was a tough game against one of the best teams in the world. We can be proud of what we did."

Koulibaly's Chelsea club-mate Edouard Mendy added: "Dealing with defeat is not difficult. We came up against a better team than us, we have to accept that, England played at their best.

"They also had all their players at their disposal while we were missing some key players. We had to play without Sadio. We also had Idrissa [Gueye] and Cheikhou [Kouyate] missing.

"So when you play against a team like that with key players missing, it is complicated.

"But throughout the tournament and throughout the year, we have shown that Senegal is more than 11 players, it is a group.

"We will continue to move forward, to progress and we will come back stronger in the 2026 World Cup, God willing."

Senegal progressed to the World Cup knockout stage at the expense of Ecuador after  Kalidou Koulibaly's strike  sealed a 2-1 win at the Khalifa International Stadium on Tuesday.

Aliou Cisse's side went into the game a point adrift of their opponents, but a deserved victory saw them secure second spot in Group A behind the Netherlands, who beat hosts Qatar in the group's other game.

Senegal were brightest from the outset and went ahead in the 44th minute when Watford winger Ismaila Sarr coolly slid home from the penalty spot after he had been fouled.

Moises Caicedo pulled Ecuador level midway through the second half, but Chelsea defender Koulibaly popped up in the 70 th  minute to restore Senegal's lead and send them into the last 16. 

Senegal squandered two glorious chances inside the opening 10 minutes, Idrissa Gueye and Boulaye Dia flashing efforts just wide from inside the penalty area.

Sarr went close with a whipped effort from distance midway through the first half, before Pathe Ciss looped a header onto the roof of the net.

Senegal's dominance was rewarded a minute before the interval when Sarr slotted home from the spot after he had been brought down in the area by Piero Hincapie.

Ecuador were much improved after the break and they drew level in the 67th minute when Caicedo tapped home at the back post after Felix Torres had flicked a corner on.

Their joy was short-lived, however, as Koulibaly booked Senegal's last-16 spot just three minutes later with a side-footed volley from six yards after a free-kick had been diverted into his path by an Ecuador defender. 

Sadio Mane remains a key influence on Senegal's World Cup campaign despite his absence, with Kalidou Koulibaly revealing the forward is in constant contact with the national team.

The Bayern Munich attacker was ruled out of Qatar 2022 after undergoing surgery for a leg injury sustained on November 8 in a Bundesliga game with Werder Bremen.

It has been a cruel blow for player and country, with Mane's penalty having been the victorious touch to take Senegal to Qatar 2022 in their qualifying play-off earlier this year against Egypt.

But despite his absence, Koulibaly says the forward is still a regular, virtual presence around the squad, helping to raise their game and keep them focused.

"He's always texting with us, always calling," he stated. "[He is] keeping the mentality high for the team. He's an important player for us.

"We know the importance that he has for the team and we hope he will continue [to stay in touch]. When he speaks, all of Senegal listens."

Senegal came up short in their first match of the World Cup on Monday against the Netherlands, conceding a pair of late goals to suffer a 2-0 defeat

Ahead of Friday's encounter with hosts Qatar in Group A, the Lions of Teranga are looking to get their campaign back on track, with Koulibaly stating they are stung by loss.

"It is very difficult after a defeat to get your head around things," he added. "It is a difficult pill to swallow. We've started off with a loss."

Both concessions marked a tough game for goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, with Senegal's first-choice goalkeeper having endured a hit-and-miss campaign with Chelsea.

Blues team-mate Koulibaly remains unconcerned over any fears of a dip in form however, adding: "We're brothers in arms. He's an important player for us.

"It's normal to go through difficult periods, but I think we're making a mountain out of a molehill. Edouard knows what he needs to do tomorrow, as do we. I don't think we should be making a big deal about this.

"Everyone needs to be confident in our role; everyone needs to get stuck in. It is together that we are going to be able to overcome this hurdle. I am not worried."

Kalidou Koulibaly implored Chelsea players "to look each other in the eye" with the Blues players the only "culprits" for the increasing pressure on Graham Potter.

Head coach Potter became the first Blues manager since Jose Mourinho in 2015 to lose three consecutive Premier League matches following a 1-0 defeat at Newcastle United.

The tepid nature of the Chelsea showing offered more reason for concern after the Blues managed just seven touches in the opposition box, their lowest since January against Manchester City.

With Potter's side eight points adrift of the Premier League's top four, albeit with a game in hand over fourth-placed Tottenham, Koulibaly urged his team-mates to take responsibility for their recent form.

"It hurts, we came here to take three points,'' the Senegal international told Canal Plus.

''We knew that they were in a good moment, that they are putting on the intensity and that especially at home they have their audience behind them. 

"Today, Chelsea are not in their place and the only culprits are us. So we must look each other in the eye and continue to work to put Chelsea in their place.''

The World Cup break could come at a good time for Chelsea as the Premier League pauses, with the Blues not in action again until a home clash with Bournemouth on December 27.

Koulibaly will head to the Middle East with Senegal, who are in Group A alongside hosts Qatar, Ecuador and the Netherlands, though he hopes Chelsea can atone for their mistakes after the break.

He added: ''The break comes at a good time for us, we need to recharge the batteries, think about something else and come back after the World Cup with a different mentality."

Sadio Mane has been named in Senegal's squad for the World Cup despite suffering a fibula injury less than two weeks before the tournament begins.

The Bayern Munich attacker limped out of his side's 6-1 Bundesliga thrashing of Werder Bremen on Tuesday, and the Bavarian giants subsequently confirmed he had injured his right fibula head.

Reports in Germany and France said Mane's availability for Senegal's World Cup campaign – which begins against the Netherlands on November 21 – was in question, but Bayern did not rule him out of the tournament.

Senegal coach Aliou Cisse has opted to take a risk on Mane by naming him in his 26-man party for the trip to Qatar, though he acknowledges the former Liverpool star's condition must improve if he is to feature.

"We are monitoring the situation and have sent one of our doctors to assess him," Cisse said at a press conference in Dakar on Friday.

"On Thursday, Sadio spent the whole day in Munich before travelling to Austria for further tests. The good news is that he does not need an operation.

"We want the situation to evolve in two to three weeks. I don't want to rule him out."

Mane scored the winning penalty as Senegal beat Egypt to win their first Africa Cup of Nations title earlier this year, and he has been directly involved in 12 of the last 25 goals scored by Senegal players at major tournaments (AFCON and World Cup), netting nine and assisting three.

Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly will captain the Lions of Teranga in Qatar, with Blues team-mate Edouard Mendy also set to start in goal.

Senegal squad: Seny Dieng (Queens Park Rangers), Alfred Gomis (Rennes), Edouard Mendy (Chelsea); Fode Ballo-Toure (Milan), Pape Abou Cisse (Olympiacos), Abdou Diallo (RB Leipzig), Ismail Jakobs (Monaco), Kalidou Koulibaly (Chelsea), Formose Mendy (Amiens), Youssouf Sabaly (Real Betis); Pathe Ciss (Rayo Vallecano), Krepin Diatta (Monaco), Idrissa Gueye (Everton), Pape Gueye (Marseille), Cheikhou Kouyate (Nottingham Forest), Mamadou Loum (Reading), Nampalys Mendy (Leicester City), Moustapha Name (Pafos), Pape Matar Sarr (Tottenham); Boulaye Dia (Salernitana), Famara Diedhiou (Alanyaspor), Bamba Dieng (Marseille), Nicolas Jackson (Villarreal), Sadio Mane (Bayern Munich), Iliman Ndiaye (Sheffield United), Ismaila Sarr (Watford).

Kalidou Koulibaly knows his "time will come" under Graham Potter at Chelsea, while the centre-back admitted he misses his former club Napoli despite choosing to leave.

The Senegal international ended an eight-year stay in Naples as he moved to Stamford Bridge in July for a reported £33.8million (€40m), signing a four-year contract with the Premier League side.

Thomas Tuchel, backed heavily in the transfer market by new owner Todd Boehly, was the man to sign Koulibaly before the Chelsea chairman dismissed the German and brought in Potter.

Koulibaly has been overlooked for the first two games of Potter's tenure, but the 31-year-old remains confident he will soon get his chance.

"It's true I haven't played yet with the new manager, but I'm easy, I know my time will come," Koulibaly told reporters.

"We have a lot of games and I will give everything in training. I am a big worker and when I don't play, I like to put all my energy into my work.

"At the moment, I am working good and trying to give my best in training to show him he can use me on the pitch and play my first game for him."

While the former Napoli defender remains patient for his chance to impress, Koulibaly acknowledged he misses life in Italy.

"I expected this. It is hard to move eight years of my life to come to London. I know that I have reached a big club, one of the best clubs in the world, so everything is hard," he continued.

"I do miss Napoli and Naples but it was my choice. I wanted to come here to London, I wanted to come and join this club, one of the best in the world.

"We knew it would be difficult, everybody says so. Even some of the best coaches in the world said so because everyone knows that to go from Italy to England is difficult.

"But I was ready to take on this challenge. At the moment, we are going through a process that is normal and I am working very hard. I like it here and I'm very happy to be there. 

"But we all have to work. I think my time will come. I am easy, I know that it's a normal process. So I have to keep on working, stay passionate and my time will come."

Koulibaly will hope to get a chance in Potter's starting XI when Chelsea host Milan on Wednesday, the Blues aiming for their first win at their third attempt in Champions League Group E.

"I think today the most important thing is that Chelsea have to win the game tomorrow because I know we didn't start well in the Champions League with a defeat and draw," he added.

"I am not worried about anything, I just want Chelsea to win the games as we did at the weekend.

"We showed a lot of good things this weekend and I am really happy for the team and everybody because we have a good team spirit and it's difficult when you change a manager.

"But you see this team is going up and up and I hope that tomorrow we will show a lot of good things to win the game."

Graham Potter opted for Cesar Azpilicueta ahead of recent arrivals Kalidou Koulibaly and Wesley Fofana as Chelsea switched to 4-3-3 in their new head coach's first game.

The Blues operated in a 3-4-3 system for most of Thomas Tuchel's tenure, but the German was dismissed after an underwhelming start to the season.

Potter was convinced to leave Brighton and Hove Albion for Stamford Bridge and made three changes ahead of his first game at home to Salzburg in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Thiago Silva returned to the starting line-up, with club captain Azpilicueta partnering the centre-back as Potter decided to leave out Koulibaly and Fofana, who were recruited from Napoli and Leicester City respectively.

Jorginho came in to the midfield trio, along with Mateo Kovacic and Mason Mount, while former Brighton defender Marc Cucurella replaced Ben Chilwell at left-back.

Chelsea continued with the same front three, though – Raheem Sterling, Kai Havertz and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang up top, the latter making his home debut for the Blues.

The Blues lost 1-0 at Dinamo Zagreb in their Group E opener, which was Tuchel's 100th game in charge, and also his last.

Thomas Tuchel wants more signings before the end of the transfer window, but the Chelsea boss has said he will still be happy if no more players arrive.

Chelsea could be set to be one of the busier of the biggest Premier League clubs this week, with Tuchel's side in the market for several players.

Wesley Fofana's move from Leicester City is due to go through once the defender completes a medical, while the Blues are also interested in Everton winger Anthony Gordon and Barcelona striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Wilfried Zaha has also been mooted as a target.

There could be several outgoings as well, with Conor Gallagher, Armando Broja and Trevoh Chalobah drawing reported interest. Callum Hudson-Odoi, meanwhile, is set to join Bayer Leverkusen on loan.

Among others, Chelsea have brought in Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly and Marc Cucurella, but Emerson, Timo Werner, Romelu Lukaku, Malang Sarr and Levi Colwill are among those to have left, either permanently or on loan.

"Right now I think we could need more players in some positions," Tuchel said in a press conference ahead of Tuesday's clash with Southampton.

"But it's very close to the end of the transfer window and when September 1 comes I will be a very happy coach whatever happens, and try to find solutions, not think what could have happened or what could be.

"Everything that matters is the moment, finding a way to win, stepping up individually, stepping up from my side and this is what we will do no matter if players come in or not."

Asked if he had to treat players whose futures are still uncertain differently, Tuchel replied: "It's maybe human, if there is a transfer window and the players are not only with us at Cobham. Once they leave the building they will have their phones on, get calls, maybe think about their future – there is a World Cup coming, which everybody talks about and everybody thinks about.

"At the moment I accept that it is like this and from September there are no more excuses and distractions, so I am very happy when the transfer window is over, because then the commitment has to be here 100 per cent and we will not accept 99.

"But the reality is that sometimes in the last days of the window you have to accept it, no matter what you wish for, it's the reality."

One player who has swiftly settled into life at Stamford Bridge is Koulibaly. The former Napoli defender was sent off in a 3-0 defeat to Leeds United on August 21, but had looked impressive in Chelsea's opening two matches.

"He's a fantastic player, a fantastic personality," Tuchel said of Koulibaly, who will be back in the fold against Southampton.

"I am so happy with what I see, not only that we managed to convince him to come to the club but also how he plays, how he trains, I see a lot of quality and I think when we play Southampton he will be on the pitch. He's a massive player for us."