Chelsea manager Graham Potter issued a worrying admission over the status of Wesley Fofana, who went off injured against AC Milan in Wednesday night’s Champions League clash.
What’s the word?
As per a report from The Athletic, the 47-year-old revealed his concern over the French defender, who was forced off in the 38th minute after putting the Blues 1-0 up earlier in the first half.
Speaking on Fofana’s injury in the post-match press conference, Potter said: “We don’t know yet. That’s the one disappointing thing about the evening. He needs a scan tomorrow and fingers crossed.
“I wouldn’t want to speculate on it now, but we’re concerned. We need to wait until tomorrow, get it scanned and hope for the best. It is what it is.
“These things happen. He’s a good guy, a strong guy and we’ll help and support him.”
Unfortunate for Fofana
Having forked out a whopping fee potentially amounting to £75m, Todd Boehly and co must have been convinced that they were acquiring one of the best young defensive assets in European football – and so far they have been proven correct.
The ex-Leicester centre-back proved his class in Chelsea’s Premier League win against Crystal Palace on Saturday, partnering veteran defender Thiago Silva at the heart of a traditional defensive foursome.
Fofana’s technical ability and defensive nous certainly makes him a great option and consequential enabler for a back-four system. His average of 66.63 passes completed per game, with 5.32 of these being played into the final third of the pitch, is a key indicator of his comfort in possession and his identity as a deep-lying ball progressor.
Indeed, he ranks in the 92nd percentile for both of those metrics among positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues over the past 12 months, illustrating his consistency after he returned from a broken leg.
Having scored the opening goal for Chelsea against Milan on Wednesday night, the 21-year-old demonstrated that he can make an impact on the big stage, in what would have come as a big confidence booster at the time.
Unfortunately, he was later forced off in tears not long after his magical moment, and he now faces another spell on the sidelines just when he seemed to be asserting himself as a first team regular under the new boss at Stamford Bridge.
