Graham Potter happy with the debut performance of Benoit Badiashile for Chelsea
Speaking in an interview as quoted by Football. London, Graham Potter was full of praise for the performance of new Chelsea signing Benoit Badiashile who started the game against Crystal Palace last night.
Badiashile is a talented footballer who joined the Blues from AS Monaco. The young Frenchman was given a chance to impress alongside the veteran Thiago Silva with Kalidou Koulibaly dropping to the bench.
Ultimately, the game ended 1-0 in favour of Chelsea thanks to a goal from Kai Havertz. It was a much needed win for the Blues and Potter who have been stuck in a bit of a rut with a number of losses.
Chelsea managed to keep a clean sheet against a tricky Palace and one of the main reasons was how solid Badiashile was at the back. The 21-year-old did not seem deterred by the situation and put in an excellent shift.
Early impressions on the Frenchman after his performance against Chelsea is that he is very good with the ball at his feet. He is also deceptively quick and knows how to hold a backline together.
However, Potter did point out one thing that Badiashile can improve in and that is heading the ball out in situations of danger.
“I thought Benoit did well, really well. It was a good game for him. He passes the ball well, when he needed to head it out he did, he’s adapting to the Premier League and that will take time because he’s a young player. I think he’ll get better and better but the first game was very positive.”
Players who come from foreign leagues generally take time adapting to the Premier League and whilst Badiashile is nowhere close to the finished product, he still has shown his quality in the backline.
It’s a welcome addition to Graham Potter who has been forced to use Thiago Silva and Koulibaly without a break and this 21-year-old Frenchman gives him another option to deploy in that position.
More Chelsea News:
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- Chelsea target Wilfried Zaha could only leave Crystal Palace in the summer
Chelsea have shown in recent months that will not hesitate to buy out of trouble. However, Badiashile on first glance looks like one of the more sensible signings of the Todd Boehly era. Only time will tell if that is the case.