New Delhi: Chelsea suffered a huge blow in their dominant 3-0 win over Aston Villa as French defender Wesley Fofana went down injured shortly before the hour mark. Fofana went straight down the tunnel after being taken off midway through the game and the extent of his injury was confirmed by manager Enzo Maresca in his post match press conference. The Italian confirmed that Fofana is out for at least the rest of the year.
The 23-year-old suffered a hamstring injury on his right leg during the clash against Villa. Maresca, speaking after his side’s win, said, “It’s unfortunately bad news.” He said that with this kind of an injury Fofana can be expected to miss anywhere from three to five weeks of action. While no injury is good for any footballer, it comes at a particularly unfortunate time for the club.
🚨⚠️ Enzo Maresca confirms Wesley Fofana has suffered an hamstring injury and his 2024 could be already over.
“Early indication suggest 4-5 weeks out”, says Maresca via @kierangill_DM. 🤕 pic.twitter.com/AJdyaWpJkX
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 1, 2024
Fofana only recently returned to fitness after missing the entirety of last season through an ACL injury which hampered his progress for a while. He established himself as the first-choice center back alongside Levi Colwill under Maresca and had started all Premier League games he was available to start. Slowly and steadily, Fofana was regaining the form that prompted Chelsea to spend a club-record transfer fee for a defender.
With the latest setback that the defender suffered, everyone would be hoping that it doesn’t become a recurring issue, like it has with club captain Reece James and that Fofana is able to return to the field quickly and more importantly, safely. The Frenchman was building a solid partnership with Colwill and if he manages to stay fit, both these youngsters can become the club’s first choice center-back pairing for years to come, given their young age.
Who can replace Wesley Fofana in the first-team lineup?
The injury to Fofana comes at a crucial time for the club as the festive period is round the corner and with the festive period, comes the barrage of games that makes squad depth extremely important. While Fofana is expected to miss at least a month’s worth of action, Chelsea are scheduled to play a total of nine games during this time and will need one of their back up defenders to step up.
Since Fofana plays as the right center back, the club has Tosin Adarabioyo and Axel Disasi who can slot in as a like-for-like replacement for the Frenchman. Benoit Badiashile, the man who replaced Fofana today and also started last weekend when he was playing as a right-back is another option that can be called upon to play as the left center back with Colwill moving on the right side. While Chelsea are well stocked to deal with this crisis, they’d still hope for a speedy recovery for their first choice center back.
The Chelsea defender walked out midway through his side’s 3-0 win over Aston Villa after getting injured in the game and is now facing a few weeks on the sidelines. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
