Levi Colwill could save €80m star's Chelsea career

Updated: 13 May 2026 06:22 BST | 7 min read

Cameron Smith | Digital Content Producer

Accredited sports journalist covering football since 2020

Wesley Fofana arguably has three games left to save his Chelsea career and the return to fitness of Levi Colwill could help swing things in the Frenchman’s favour massively.

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Fofana has been a major disappointment since his arrival from Leicester City for a whopping transfer fee of €80.4 million in 2022, largely down to injury problems, and his poor form has contributed to Chelsea’s current winless run in the Premier League.

Current ETV

Wesley Fofana

D (C)

Chelsea

Wesley Fofana

D (C)

Chelsea

ETV Range

€27.9M - €34.2M

The 25-year-old has been at fault for a number of goals that Chelsea have conceded in 2026 and, in recent months, his performance level has dropped to such a level that rumours indicate that he could be sold during the upcoming summer transfer window.

Fofana’s deal isn’t due to expire until 2029, but with Chelsea keen to sign at least one new central defender this summer, a number of their current options will be required to depart.

The Blues currently have nine senior centre-backs on their books, including loanees Aaron Anselmino and Axel Disasi, and several of them are highly likely to be sold on permanent deals before the start of next season as the club look to improve the quality of their defensive options while reducing the quantity.

Fofana’s future therefore remains uncertain, especially as he could feasibly have a number of suitors given his age and reputation as an excellent player.

However, if he performs like he did against Liverpool for the remainder of the season, Chelsea will arguably have no choice but to keep him.

It wasn’t a totally dominant display from Fofana, but he certainly looked more like his usual self than in recent months and he proved just how valuable he can be for Chelsea. And it’s no coincidence either.

Levi Colwill to save Wesley Fofana’s Chelsea career

Fofana’s best performance in months unsurprisingly came alongside Levi Colwill, who made his first start of the season against Liverpool on Saturday after recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

The England international is Chelsea’s best centre-back by a country mile and he rekindled his immense partnership with Fofana at Anfield.

The pair have now played 15 times together in a Chelsea shirt, winning eight of those matches, drawing five and losing just two. They started alongside each other at centre-back in 11 of the first 13 Premier League games of 2024-25, with Chelsea losing only one of those fixtures and conceding just 11 goals.

It was the start of a blossoming partnership and Enzo Maresca had certainly found his favoured centre-back duo. However, Fofana went off with a hamstring injury during a 3-0 win over Aston Villa in December and after a brief return in March, he required surgery to fix this issue.

By the time he returned to full fitness, Colwill had suffered an ACL injury and Fofana hasn’t looked the same player since.

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A post shared by Levi Samuels Colwill (@levicolwill)

It’s no surprise that Fofana's form has dipped, however, as he and Colwill complement each other perfectly. The former is given license to be the more aggressive of the two, while the latter is more conservative. Colwill’s immense passing ability hides Fofana’s slight weakness in this area and allows the Frenchman to instead utilise his preference for driving forward with the ball at his feet instead. Meanwhile, Fofana’s aerial prowess and Colwill’s defensive nous and positioning combine to make Chelsea a far more solid unit at the back.

Speaking to the Chelsea website in September 2024, Fofana admitted this himself. “On the pitch it’s simple - I know him, he knows me and every game is a little bit better,” he said.

“We don’t need to talk too much. I feel good with him, he feels good with me. Away from the pitch we have a very good relationship. We are not just teammates, he’s a friend, my guy.”

The Frenchman hasn’t created such a partnership with Trevoh Chalobah, Tosin Adarabioyo or Jorrel Hato, and his form has dipped drastically as a result.

But, with Colwill now back, Fofana has the chance to cement his place as a key player for Chelsea once again and end rumours of a sale.

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