Signing Fofana would take Chelsea into a new era
Robin Bairner
- 10 Dec 2021 16:33 CST
- 3 min read
Chelsea have been linked with Leicester defender Wesley Fofana as a potential replacement for any number of central defenders they could lose in the summer.
The Blues face an exodus in the heart of their rearguard, with Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen, Cesar Azpilicueta and Thiago Silva all having contracts that expire at the end of June.
Indeed, Trevoh Chalobah is the only regular centre-back who is tied down to a long-term deal.
Despite this, it is surprising to see Chelsea linked to Fofana at this juncture in the campaign.
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Fofana a player to build around
The young Frenchman was one of the outstanding defenders in the Premier League last term in his debut season after arriving from Saint-Etienne, but he has been unable to make an impact this time around.
Fofana was the victim of a serious injury in a pre-season encounter with Villarreal and remains weeks away from playing.
Nevertheless, according to Goal, Chelsea are targeting him as a transfer recruit.
It is a risky move from the Blues given the player’s recent physical problem, albeit a contact injury such as the one he suffered is far less likely to cause long-term problems than muscular or ligament damage.
Despite this there is a danger that when he returns to the field, he will be less effective than before. It is something that Chelsea will be closely monitoring as the season progresses.
But beyond all this, Fofana will not come cheap. Under contract until 2025, Leicester hold all the power in the negotiations as a result.
The upshot of this is that Chelsea could spend a massive amount on a transfer fee when they have a raft of proven centre-backs among their own ranks.
Perhaps they feel that Rudiger is not worth the wages he reportedly wants, that Christensen is not ultimately good enough and that Azpilicueta and Thiago Silva will soon be too old.
If this is the case, it is time for a new era, and Fofana is a player they could potentially build around for a footballing generation. The investment in him would be huge, and they must decide if that is worthwhile given the wealth of talent they already have on their books. For a club with the wealth of Chelsea, it is not an all-or-nothing move, but it would be a decisive one.
