Koulibaly: Jorginho pestered me, Mendy convinced me to join Chelsea
Ex-Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly has revealed his Senegal teammate Edouard Mendy and midfielder Jorginho played a vital role in his decision to join Chelsea.
The Lion of Teranga skipper joined the Blues this season and has featured for the Thomas Tuchel-led team five times already.
The centre-back had played with Jorginho at the Naples-based charges before the Italian opted to leave in 2018. However, the duo kept on believing they would be reunited in the future, and it eventually happened in the concluded transfer window.
"It was you [who contributed to my coming to Chelsea]. You have been pestering me since June, or maybe March, spamming me with texts, begging me to join the club. You helped make it happen," Koulibaly revealed the role the Italy international played in convincing him to join the Premier League team.
"I have had many conversations with you and Edou [Mendy] and you both had great things to say about the team, the club, and its supporters. I don’t know if you [Jorginho] remember before you left Napoli I promised we'd play together again someday.
"So that was definitely one of the reasons why I made this decision. Knowing I would get to reunite with my brothers and have another chance to play, train and laugh together again definitely helped."
The 31-year-old defender has further revealed how Chelsea's triumph in Europe convinced him he was making the right choice.
"Plus, when I came to Chelsea in June, in my heart I had already decided I wanted to join," Koulibaly added.
"I had already been keeping up to date with the team, especially you [Jorginho] and Edou [Mendy], and when I saw you guys winning the Champions League, I felt I was joining the right team at the right moment.
"So, when I landed in London to join you and the rest of the team, I knew I was doing the right thing."
Koulibaly is expected to be in the starting team as Chelsea take on Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday night in Group E's Champions League assignment.