There’s undoubtedly a perception the transfer market has reached a new level of farce this year given some of the deals struck and others that were even touted in the first place. Chelsea have rarely been far from the news, whether they’ve missed out on players (of which there have been many) or perhaps overpaid.
The £62million deal that brought Marc Cucurella to Stamford Bridge was one that especially courted bemusement, with fans, pundits and reporters alike surprised by the transfer fee. Even Manchester City walked away from talks with Brighton and Hove Albion when they couldn’t sign the versatile left-back for £40m.
While heed should be taken from how Fofana proved the sceptics wrong two years ago, it is not unfair to ask whether he is really worth such an eye-watering sum. £80million for a player yet to represent his country at senior level is unheard of and Fofana has still only made 81 career appearances at club level.
Not that Fofana was necessarily their first choice. Chelsea missed out on Matthijs de Ligt and Jules Kounde in pre-season, with the inability to land the latter proving frustrating for the Blues given their attempts to sign him last year as well.
Stylistically, however, Fofana could arguably be better suited than those two players because he is blessed with similar key attributes to Kounde but is already accustomed to playing in a back three like De Ligt, and yet he is quicker than the Dutchman.
Both Chelsea and Leicester have enjoyed a healthy relationship in the transfer market in recent years. Chelsea have signed Ben Chilwell, N’Golo Kante and Danny Drinkwater from Leicester City over the years – but only time will tell if Wesley Fofana is worth the money Chelsea have just splashed on him.
Welcome, Wesley! 😁#FofanaIsChelsea
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 31, 2022
Wesley Fofana playing style and analysis
One significant advantage Chelsea have in signing Fofana this summer is that he is a proven Premier League defender. Since joining Leicester City from French club Saint-Etienne in the summer of 2020, Fofana has gone on to make over 50 appearances for the Foxes across all competitions.
Because his first Premier League campaign was so impressive, it’s easy to forget how inexperienced Fofana actually is. He only played 20 Ligue 1 games for Saint-Etienne prior to joining Leicester for the 2020-21 season, and although he went on to feature 28 times in the Premier League that campaign, he hardly appeared at…
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