The Senegal skipper recently completed a move from Napoli and fills a void left by the double defensive departure this summer of Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger.

While the 31-year-old is eager to be judged on his own merits rather than compared to predecessors, including John Terry whose No.26 shirt he is set to take, he also admits that he owes a debt of gratitude to the Blues for bringing him to south-west London on a four-year contract and making his long-term ambitions a reality.

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‘I thought this was a good time to come to the Premier League,’ he said. ‘I have the experience, I learned a lot in Italy and now I have to learn again in the Premier League so I’m really excited.

‘It’s important that Chelsea gave me four years. For me it’s proof that they have confidence in me, that they know that I’m a professional player and I like to take care of my body.

‘I didn’t have many big injures so for this they have confidence in me. I know that I can give them these years and even more, with a lot of energy and everything that I can give them.’

Dreaming is important to Koulibaly, who has ambitions to lift major silverware at Stamford Bridge following his triumph at the African Cup of Nations earlier this year.

He was hopeful of making the switch from Naples to Chelsea prior to this summer but wasn’t able to get the move finalised and instead extended his Serie A stay to a total of eight years.

‘In 2015 it was [Antonio] Conte and I spoke with him,’ he explained. ‘It was after my first good year in Napoli, but I had three or four years left on my contract there.

‘I don’t like to fight with my owners and my supporters but I asked respectfully to the owner that I wanted to leave for Chelsea. He told me it was not possible so I waited a bit, continued with them and I decided to renew my contract to stay in Napoli.

‘It was a bit hard to say no to the Premier League because my dream was to play in the Premier League since I was a child but I knew one day it would happen. I had to wait but I had a lot of patience and I’m here today so I’m happy.’

Koulibaly has developed a reputation as one of the most respected defenders in Europe and so Chelsea was not the only option available to him this summer, though it was the only club he could really see himself moving to at this stage of his career.

‘I don’t like to think or speak about it because today I play for Chelsea,’ he added. ‘It’s true that other clubs were interested in signing me and it could happen before but the best thing is I’m signed for Chelsea today and I’m really happy to play with the Blues.

‘I knew that everybody was thinking I’d never come to the Premier League and I would never play for another club than Napoli but I make my choices along with my family, my friends and the people who love me, and I decide.

‘I never stopped believing and this is the most important thing, to have some dreams, and then some dreams happen. My dream with the national team was to win the first AFCON and I did it so for me you never stop believing because if you believe so strongly then it can happen.’