Rafa Benitez issues Koulibaly warning after Chelsea transfer

Rafa Benitez

thinks

won't "dominate" at Chelsea like he did at

. He doubts his ability to focus and play in the air.

bought the 31-year-old central defender from the Serie A team for £34 million (about $41 million). This is part of the team's ongoing makeover this summer.

Koulibaly was long thought to be one of the best defenders in Italian football. However, Benitez, who coached him at Napoli, says his weaknesses could be used against him more quickly in the

Premier League

. The former manager of Chelsea told The Athletic, "He needs to pay more attention sometimes." He sometimes loses focus and is too sure of himself, but he has been critical at Napoli, and people I know and trust say he has been the best center-back in Italy during this time.

"This season will be his first in the Premier League, and he might fit in well with how Tuchel wants to play. He is good at running with the ball and is good with both feet, just like Rudiger. "Is he maybe a little too kind? What happens at Chelsea will be seen. As I said, he did well in Italy because he was so fast, but I don't think he will be as good here.

"Aerial ability wasn't his biggest strength, but that mattered a bit less in Italy, and he was ok. It will be interesting to see how that goes in the Premier League, but he was always eager to learn, and he spent time with my staff and me after training to work on his heading and improve his technique.

Chelsea wanted to bring Koulibaly to

Stamford Bridge

, even though they were worried about some parts of his game and because he was over 30 and had never played English football.

The experienced center-back will be part of manager Thomas TTuchel'srebuilt defense after the summer departures of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen. He is experienced at the top level of the European club game, having made 26 Champions League appearances for Napoli after joining the club in 2014.

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