Kalidou Koulibaly insists he's 'calm' about his future amid Chelsea exit speculation & gives view on under-fire manager Graham Potter

• Potter struggling to make an impact
• Koulibaly backs his manager
• The defender brushed aside speculation

WHAT HAPPENED? The English manager has come under fire from the Blues faithful after guiding them to just two wins from 15 Premier League matches, despite the club spending around £600 million in the transfer market this season. The London outfit also tasted defeat to Borussia Dortmund in the first leg of a Champions League last 16 tie and if they fail to turn their fortunes around in the return leg, Potter's job might be on the line. However, Koulibaly remains firmly behind his manager despite starting just one league game since the win over Crystal Palace on January 15.

WHAT THEY SAID: “Graham Potter is very good at communicating with everyone. And he doesn’t care if you cost £100million or £20m, he will treat you in the same way. That’s the mark of a great manager," he told The Sun.

"It’s not a difficult season but I need time to adapt and I knew that. When I decided to come here I was well aware that it wouldn’t be easy. I have a three-year contract and I am calm. I have time to show everybody who I am," he added.

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Koulibaly also defended his fellow teammates Joao Felix and Mykhailo Mudryk after the duo came in for criticism for their lacklustre displays in recent weeks. “Felix is known all over the world, he’s a great player, we all know that. Technically he’s very gifted and brings fluency to our game, which we crave.

“As for Mudryk, he’s very quick, technically on a one-v-one, he’s outstanding and can be a big help for us. But he is a player who needs the ball to make a difference and our job is to get it to him. Every player joining Chelsea needs time to adapt and Mudryk is no different. We’re not worried because we know he will lead us forward," the former Napoli centre back reasoned.

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WHAT NEXT FOR CHELSEA? The Blues will be in action on Saturday against Leeds United in the Premier League and will then shift their attention to the crucial Champions League meeting with Dortmund on March 7.