This is actually something I’ve mentioned here a few times as of late. I was a little embarrassed because Wesley Fofana was worried about me.
I have always valued Fofana and there was a buzz when we signed him. I think he will always be a very solid centre-back in terms of commitment, tackles, interceptions, energy and passion. However, there are some concerns, but I am not sure yet whether this is actually a big issue.
Fofana is erratic. He commits too many clumsy fouls. He may also panic on the ball or take a hard touch when in possession. I’m also a bit worried about playing from behind with Fofana. He’s a bit brainless sometimes.
Fofana’s fellow Frenchman, former Chelsea defender Franck Leboeuf, is also clearly concerned about him.
Now we all know that Frank has been on a rough patch at Chelsea recently, but I think he’s probably right in what he mentioned.
He said this after the Newcastle game:
“One day I’ll be talking about Wesley Fofana because he cares about me.”
I think he’s starting to worry more than some people.
We all know that defense and goalkeeping are our weak links at the moment, we have seen this too often. Lack of focus and overall focus on defense. I think we need to bring in a dominant, confident centre-back who can dictate everything to the defense (and of course a new goalkeeper as well).
I don’t want to abandon Fofana and disparage him. I’ve always liked him and he’s got a lot of great assets and can bring a lot to our team. His mentality and work rate are strong and he can be a really positive player defensively.
But for now, I think there is some cause for concern. Can he reverse these concerns like other Chelsea players this season? Of course it is 100% possible. Let’s hope he does.
We should also note that he didn’t play at all last season. So you may have some natural dental issues getting back into position and playing again, which is natural and completely okay.
