In a recent report, L’Equipe (subscription required) revealed that Chelsea have seen their €75m offer for Leicester City defender Wesley Fofana rejected. It has been claimed that the Blues are eager to recruit the French centre-back but the Foxes are unwilling to let him go during this summer transfer window.
Fofana’s Recent Season At The King Power Stadium
The 21-year-old missed a major chunk of the previous campaign due to a serious injury. Fofana ended up making 12 appearances for the Foxes last season, finding the back of the net once across all fronts.
The French talent was a rock at the back whenever he played for Leicester recently and deserves a lot of credit for averaging 1.7 tackles, 1.7 interceptions and 3.7 clearances per game in the Premier League. He was even accurate when distributing the ball from the back, as evidenced by his pass success rate of 89% in the top tier of English football (stats via whoscored).
Should Chelsea Head Coach Thomas Tuchel Go Back In Fofana This Summer?
Fofana is a solid tackler of the ball and can time his challenges well to earn the ball back for his team on the defensive third of the pitch. He is usually quick to spot the danger and doesn’t mind putting his foot through the ball when needed.
Standing at 1.90, the French youngster can be a dominant presence in the air and is even proficient at playing his way out from the back. However, only time will tell whether he can overcome his recent injury problems and get back to performing at a high level.
At 21, Fofana has got the potential to become one of the best players in his position someday. Therefore, Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel should consider going back in with another bid for him as he will be a great signing for the Blues in the long run.
We can expect Fofana to add more bite and steel to Tuchel’s defence at Stamford Bridge. The Frenchman could serve as an ideal long-term successor to Thiago Silva at Chelsea. He could even help the West London giants challenge for even more silverware over the next decade.
