Latest Chelsea news with Wesley Fofana finally looking like the defender the Blues thought they were signing in 2022
Chelsea paid Leicester City £75million for Wesley Fofana in 2022. The defender was one of the first blockbuster signings under the new regime but his time at Stamford Bridge has been full of frustration.
The centre-back has made only 25 appearances for the Blues, five coming so far this season. In his debut season at the club, he appeared just 20 times in all competitions and failed to make a single appearance under Mauricio Pochettino.
An ACL tear stagnated the start of his time at Chelsea and there had been rumours of him potentially being on his way out of the club. A return to France was touted throughout the window with Marseille of consideration. However, he remained in the capital.
Fofana’s decision to stay put in England has, so far, worked out with him being a key member of Enzo Maresca’s defence so far. The 23-year-old played centre-back for the first four games of the season before doing a job at right-back in Saturday’s win over West Ham.
“Wes is a player that I really love, I am in love with Wes!'”, Maresca said. “He is doing fantastic after one year injured and, for any player in the world, when you are out for one year and then you come back it is not easy, and he is doing top. This is the only thing we want from him.”
When at Leicester, Fofana was one of the most impressive centre-backs in the Premier League so it was no surprise that Todd Boehly and Clearlake sanctioned such a big fee.
Fofana moved to the Premier League in 2020 for a fee worth £36.5m from Saint Etienne. At 19, the centre-back bolstered Brendan Rodgers’ defence as the long-term replacement to Wes Morgan.
He made 52 appearances for the Foxes but, like at Chelsea, had to miss a large part of the season due to injury. However, when he was made available, he was one of Leicester’s best players. As a Leicester City fan, I saw it with my own eyes.
When he returned from his leg fracture in 2022, Fofana was back to his best. He marshalled Leicester’s defence and helped them reach the semi-final of the Europa Conference League. On his return from injury, Fofana scored the winner against Rennes in France to send Leicester through, something that Rodgers heaped praise on him for.
“He’s an amazing player, that’s what top players do,” Rodgers told BT Sport post-match. “He’s only been back in training a few weeks but they want to go and head it and show that determination. That’s what we’ve missed for a lot of the season.
“That’s a top player’s mentality, he’s such a top prospect. Now he’s just got to try and build his fitness up. He was exceptional on the night.”
A few months later, after Leicester knocked out PSV Eindhoven, Rodgers provided a statement that simply became a reality. “Any team would miss him,” Rodgers said. “He is an absolutely phenomenal talent, this young man.
A few months later, after Leicester knocked out PSV Eindhoven, Rodgers provided a statement that simply became a reality. “Any team would miss him,” Rodgers said. “He is an absolutely phenomenal talent, this young man.
“When you think that he had not eaten or drunk a thing because of Ramadan, he is a star in the making. The raw talent, the anticipation for a defender. He is going to be an absolute elite player.
“You have to be honest and open enough to admit that you are going to miss someone of that ability. Of course that is going to hinder performance. There is no rocket science to it. You miss your best players and it takes away from the level of your game.”
Fofana left Leicester four months later and they were relegated that season. It’s still early days but he’s finally looking like the player that Leicester raved about so much.
