Maresca handed MASSIVE boost that will SAVE Chelsea's season

Tom Weber

Updated: 25 Feb 2025 15:15 GMT
3 min read

Chelsea have been given hope of arresting their poor form by the news that Wesley Fofana is back from injury way ahead of schedule.

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The Blues suffered a crushing blow in December when the Frenchman went down with what looked like another long-term injury. Since joining Chelsea for a whopping €80 million in 2022, Fofana has struggled to stay fit for more than a few months at a time.

After back-to-back season-ending knee injuries, the worry in December and early January was that Fofana would again be left sidelined for the remainder of the campaign, this time with a serious hamstring problem.

Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca admitted that his season could be over, though this was always an overly glum assessment of the situation - a more realistic return date was set for March or April.

Prior to his injury, Fofana had been a guaranteed starter under Maresca, who has repeatedly stated that he is 'in love' with the 24-year-old. The West London club's form has been nothing short of disastrous without Fofana, although the problems run deeper than just his absence.

Fofana back for Southampton

Chelsea have now received some much-needed good news, with Fabrice Hawkins reporting that Fofana could make his return to Maresca's squad as early as Tuesday evening when the Blues take on Southampton.

Transfer insider Fabrizio Romano has since confirmed that Fofana is back and in the frame to potentially get some minutes against the Saints. He has recovered from his injury significantly ahead of schedule.

It may still be too early for Fofana to start, and Chelsea surely won't take any risks given his history of fitness issues, but his availability is a welcome boost to a defensively depleted side.

Trevoh Chalobah joined Benoit Badiashile on the treatment table when he was forced off against Aston Villa at the weekend, which left Chelsea with just Levi Colwill, Tosin Adarabioyo and January arrival Aaron Anselmino - who has so far only played for the reserves - as recognised centre-back options.