In the 20th round of the Premier League, Chelsea drew 1-1 with Crystal Palace away from home, failing to win in four consecutive rounds. After entering 2025, Chelsea's goal has changed from competing for the Premier League title to securing a top-four finish. Prior to this round of matches, Chelsea head coach Marleska stated that starting center-back Wesley Fofana would be out long-term due to injury and might miss the rest of the season! This is undoubtedly terrible news for the Blues.
This season, Fofana has played 12 times for Chelsea and suffered a hamstring injury in early December, which has kept him out of action since then. After the winter transfer window opened, Marleska suddenly announced at a press conference that Wesley Fofana might miss the rest of the season, leaving many Chelsea fans incredulous.
Since joining Chelsea in the summer of 2022, Wesley Fofana has repeatedly suffered serious injuries. In October 2022, Fofana was out for four months due to a severe knee injury; last season, he missed the rest of the season due to an ACL tear. Now, Marleska has once again announced at a press conference that Fofana will miss the rest of the season.
Having joined the team for three seasons, Fofana has almost had a serious injury every year, leaving many Chelsea fans helpless. After all, the team spent a high transfer fee of 80.4 million euros on Fofana, but he has only made 32 appearances in three seasons with the team, revealing his fragility. However, regarding his own injury situation, Fofana seems to disagree with Marleska's statement.
On Instagram, a fan group called "Team Fofana" updated Fofana's injury status. Fofana told them that Marleska's statement was incorrect, and he would officially return in 4-6 weeks. In addition, French media L'Équipe hinted that Fofana had told them he would be confident to return early from his injury. Previously, Chelsea's medical staff and some insiders suggested that Fofana undergo surgery and would be out for at least three months. However, Fofana rejected this proposal and chose conservative treatment.
It is reported that the reason why Marleska made such a negative statement at the press conference is to put pressure on the Chelsea management. He hopes to bring in a high-level central defender during the winter window. However, the way he chose made Fofana unable to accept it, as he does not want to be a stepping stone for Marleska's progress.
