Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has clarified the situation surrounding Wesley Fofana’s latest injury, aiming to end the confusion that arose after Fofana disputed his comments on social media.
Fofana suffered a hamstring injury in early December, initially downplaying the severity, calling it a “slight warning” and “nothing serious”. However, after a month on the sidelines, Maresca revealed publicly that there was a possibility Fofana could be out for the remainder of the season.
The Italian’s statement caused confusion, with Fofana reportedly disputing Maresca’s claims on social media, suggesting a recovery timeline of between four and six weeks.
In response to the situation, Maresca explained the club’s position:
“We speak the same language in terms of communication—English and French—so it has been quite clear. I spoke with Wes – the 12 to 16 weeks the club mentioned is the situation.
“Wes is thinking he can recover sooner than that. We are all happy if Wes recovers and is available sooner, but we are going to see.
“There is not any problem, I just told you what the medical staff said to me, that it is around 12 and 16 weeks. Wes is thinking he can recover earlier than that. We are all happy if Wes is back as soon as possible.”
Speculation Over Fofana’s Replacement
Maresca also addressed speculation regarding potential moves to bolster Chelsea’s defence in Fofana’s absence. Despite interest in Marc Guehi and Trevoh Chalobah, both players are currently contracted to Crystal Palace. Maresca emphasized:
“The only thing I can say is Marc Guehi is a Palace player. I like Marc for sure but he is not our player. But I like also the central defenders we have. I also like different types of central defenders in Italy, Spain and France but that doesn’t mean we are going to buy a player.
“It is a normal situation I think when you have central defenders injured that the speculation is there. At the same time, there is nothing there.
“[The Chalobah situation] is exactly the same. Unfortunately I have to give you the same answer. Trev is a good player but in this moment he is a Palace player, so we will see.”
