Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has announced that Wesley Fofana could be out for the entire season with an injury much worse than they originally feared.
The 24-year-old joined the Blues in 2022 but has struggled to stay fit – and is now anticipated to miss the rest of the season.
That is despite Chelsea initially expecting him to be ruled out for just five weeks with a hamstring problem.
“Unfortunately, there’s a risk Wesley Fofana could be out for the entire season” Maresca said on Friday.
He added: “Initial feeling was for 5 weeks but then more tests gave us bad news. We don’t know exactly yet, but it’s a huge loss.”
After missing all of last season to undergo knee surgery, Fofana was at full fitness at the start of the season and has been a key figure in the starting XI for Maresca’s side.
In their last three games in the top-flight, Chelsea have lost two and drawn one, with Fofana’s absence on the backline arguably having an impact in their defence.
“Every time you ask me about Wes I said many times I am in love with Wes, because he is that kind of defender that gives you the chance to press and be aggressive and to leave in one v one with (Ollie) Watkins,” said Maresca.
“We did exactly the same when Wes was injured with Benoit, one v one with (Dominic) Solanke and (both defenders) can deal with that.
“It’s very difficult to find that kind of defender. Now both are injured and we are trying to find different solutions.
“For sure, Wes is a huge loss.
“I don’t think this kind of injury can be compared to the rest. This one is muscle and previously he hasn’t had any muscle problems, so it’s completely different.
“It’s a bit unlucky but he will be back and he will be good in the way he was before he was injured.”
Fellow centre-back Benoit Badiashile is also ruled out until February, joining Fofana on the injury list.
In more positive news for Chelsea, Romeo Lavia could return to the first-team soon, with Maresca stating that he was ‘very close’.
Midfielder Lavia has missed the last six games with a thigh injury.
Injury-prone Reece James is also able to feature against Crystal Palace on Saturday, which would be his first match since November.
Fofana had started all 12 of the Premier League matches he has played in since the start of the season, completing the full 90 minutes on 10 occasions in that time frame.
The centre-back joined from Leicester City on a seven-year contract in 2022 for a fee of £70million.
In a controversial move, Fofana accused Leicester of ‘false and misleading comments’ during his prolonged transfer.
