Five possible replacements for Wesley Fofana at Chelsea

Cameron Smith

3 Jan 2025 15:30 GMT
4 min read

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has admitted that Wesley Fofana could miss the rest of the 2024-25 season due to a hamstring injury he sustained in December.

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The France international hasn’t featured since he was forced off in the 60th minute of Chelsea’s 3-0 win over Aston Villa on 1 December, and he has now been ruled out for several months.

In total, the 24-year-old has missed 86 games due to injury since his €80.4 million move to Chelsea from Leicester City in 2022, including the entirety of the last season.

During his pre-match press conference ahead of Chelsea’s clash against Crystal Palace on Saturday, Maresca admitted: “Unfortunately, Wes will be out for a very long time.

“He could be out for the season, yeah. We don’t know exactly. He could be out for part of the season. It is [his] hamstring and we are going to lose him for a while.”

With Axel Disasi severely underperforming, Benoit Badiashile also injured and Aaron Anselmino yet to adapt to English football, Chelsea currently have a very limited set of centre-back options at their disposal.

Josh Acheampong could be used in that position, however he is naturally a right-back and although he has frequently played at centre-back during his time in Chelsea’s academy, Maresca may opt against using the 18-year-old alongside Levi Colwill.

As a result, the Blues could be forced to sign a new centre-back during the January transfer window.

Below, FootballTransfers runs through who Chelsea could sign to replace Fofana.

Current ETV

Wesley Fofana

D (CR)

Chelsea

Wesley Fofana

D (CR)

Chelsea

ETV Range

€11.7M - €19.5M

Jules Kounde (Barcelona)

Chelsea have been admirers of Jules Kounde for the best part of four years, and Fofana’s injury could result in a concrete proposal being lodged.

The Barcelona star is ideally suited to play as a right-sided centre-back under Maresca and given the Blaugrana’s failure to register Dani Olmo, offloading Kounde could help ease their financial woes.

Illia Zabarnyi (Bournemouth)

Chelsea have recently been linked with a move for Bournemouth defender Illia Zabarnyi following his immense form since joining the Cherries in 2023.

The Ukraine international has impressed under Andoni Iraola, and he may be viewed as a slightly cheaper alternative to Kounde as Chelsea look to purchase a new centre-back.

Tomas Araujo (Benfica)

Chelsea’s pursuit of the best young talents in world football has seen them identify Benfica’s Tomas Araujo as a key defensive target.

The 22-year-old has usurped the highly-rated Antonio Silva as Nicolas Otamendi’s most frequent centre-back partner at Benfica and Chelsea could solidify their interest in the youngster by submitting a formal bid in January.

Abdukodir Khusanov (Lens)

Manchester City have been heavily linked with a move for RC Lens defender Abdukodir Khusanov in recent weeks, but Chelsea are also monitoring his progress and could launch a bid following Fofana’s injury.

The Uzbekistan international is an aggressive, front-footed centre-back, and his form at Lens has attracted the attention of Europe’s elite. Chelsea would be wise to pounce in January.

Trevoh Chalobah (Crystal Palace, on loan from Chelsea)

Trevoh Chalobah was frozen out following Maresca’s appointment and he sealed a season-long loan move to Crystal Palace in August after being placed in Chelsea’s ‘Bomb Squad.’

A mid-season recall option may not have been included in his loan deal at Selhurst Park, but Chalobah is certainly an option for Chelsea, especially in the summer, despite the fact Maresca evidently isn’t a fan.

He wouldn’t cost a penny, is proven at the highest level, and is already better than several of Chelsea’s current centre-backs, including Disasi.