Wesley Fofana Injury: Chelsea defender set to miss the rest of the season

Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana is unlikely to return to action before the end of the current season. The Frenchman has been out of action for 243 days and last featured for the Blues in a 1-1 draw against Newcastle in May 2023.

However, latest updates regarding his recovery process do not look very encouraging.

Wesley Fofana Injury: Timelines and expected return

Fofana joined Chelsea from Leicester City in August 2022 for a whopping £75 million. However, having made a decent start to life at Stamford Bridge, injuries have since stalled the defender’s progress at the club.

Wesley Fofana suffered a cruciate ligament tear during the pre-season ahead of the 2023-24 campaign and has yet to feature under Mauricio Pochettino. So far, he has only made 20 appearances for Chelsea, scoring two goals in the process. In contract, Fofana has missed over 50 games for the club since arriving.

Now, reports from LondonWorld have stated that the Frenchman will not return to action before the end of the season. The 23-year-old will need at least one full pre-season to return to full fitness once declared fit to train. In case he does not, Chelsea are reportedly keeping tabs on multiple other options.

Despite having sufficient backup in Axel Disasi, Levi Colwill and Benoit Badiashile, the Blues are interested in Barcelona’s Jules Kounde as a defensive option. Another Wesley Fofana injury would surely make them reconsider.

The Frenchman’s career so far

Wesley Fofana was born in Marseille and came through the youth ranks of multiple French clubs, before finally making the breakthrough with AS Saint-Etienne in 2018. He made just 30 senior appearances for the club before being spotted by Leicester City’s scouting team.

Aged just 20 at the time, the Foxes paid an eye-watering £36.5 million to acquire Fofana’s services in October 2020. He went on to make 52 appearances for the club, scoring and assisting one goal apiece. He was also named Leicester City’s Young Player of the Season in 2020-21.

Then came his blockbuster move to Chelsea in August 2022 as Fofana signed a seven-year deal for a reported £75 million fee. However, the move is yet to fully materialize and both the club and the player will hope it will bear fruit soon enough.

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