Why Wesley Fofana’s return is perfect news for Chelsea and Enzo Maresca

A dive into the data and stats to show why the Frenchman coming back is welcome news for the new Italian manager.

Wesley Fofana signed for Chelsea in the summer of 2022 and was purchased for 80.40 million euros from Leicester City, making him the fourth most expensive defender ever. 

Since signing, Fofana has only managed to make 22 Chelsea appearances in just under two years and has suffered three major knee injuries in that time.

He had such a bad injury in pre-season in 2023 that he ended up missing the entire 23/24 campaign, with his last game for Chelsea coming 398 days ago against Manchester United. 

There is absolutely no doubt that Fofana is amongst Europe’s elite defenders when he can play, but his injury record does concern Chelsea fans. 

The good news for Chelsea fans is that the Frenchman has just announced on Instagram that he is back after updating his bio to simply read: “I’m back.”

More good news for Chelsea fans is that Fofana is the perfect player to play the right centre-back role in new manager Enzo Maresca’s system, and his fitness could be the difference between another dismal defensive performance like last season under Mauricio Pochettino, or a much more solid approach this time around. 

Fofana’s road back to fitness has been a long and treacherous one. Some sources stated after his injury last summer that he’d be available at the end of the season, with some even claiming he could be ready at the start of 2024, but that wasn’t the case and that shows that the club have been extremely careful with his rehabilitation, which Fofana will hope benefits him long-term. 

Firstly, Chelsea will most likely go into next season with three options at right-centre back. Those three options would be Fofana, Axel Disasi and Tosin Adarabioyo. 

Trevoh Chalobah is another player that plays on the right-hand side of defence but all the signs point towards him being sold for financial fair play purposes. 

Here is how Chelsea’s three right centre-back options compare:

Enzo Maresca’s system typically sees the right-back invert into midfield (similar to what Pochettino did with Cucurella on the other side last season). 

That means, assuming Reece James is the player to invert into midfield, that the right centre-back will have to cover space in the central areas, but also cover the wide channels as well. 

To do this effectively, Maresca will need his right centre-back to be athletic, aggressive and good on the ball. Fofana is all of those things. 

Compared to Disasi and Tosin, Fofana is the most aggressive and ‘front-foot’ defender, he’s the quickest and also the best at carrying the ball which is a great trait to have for this role. 

Disasi is a better passer than Fofana, but his serious lack of athleticism would make him far more suited to the central position in the back three Chelsea would play when Reece James moves into midfield. The same applies to Tosin, he’d suit that middle role better. 

Fofana really is perfect for this role and the more you look into his stats, the more it becomes glaringly obvious that Maresca will be hoping that he can leave his fitness issues behind him. 

Fofana ranks extremely highly for defenders in metrics that are crucial for his potential role in Maresca’s system. 

He’s in the elite category when it comes to progressive carries and successful take-ons per-90 which further highlights just how good he is on the ball. Having that level of press resistance and comfort on the ball in defensive areas will be a trait Maresca loves as it means he can be trusted to carry the ball and make something happen, which not many defenders can do. 

He also scores highly in tackles and interceptions per-90 and that highlights his aggressive style of defending which is important when he may be left to defend the right-hand channel on his own from time to time. 

His all-round defensive game is very solid and paired with his ability on the ball, you can see why Chelsea spent so much money on him. If he can stay fit, Fofana is likely to be one of the league's top defenders next season. 

Fofana ranks in the top 10 percentile for a lot of stats. The following stats are areas of his game that can confidently be called elite:

A potential lineup next season under Enzo Maresca with Wesley Fofana in it could look like this:

Of course, Chelsea will bring in more players this summer, but as it stands, that is a realistic lineup for next season under Chelsea’s new manager. 

Now it’s a waiting game to see whether Fofana can prove his fitness over a long period of time. Chelsea fans and Enzo Maresca will certainly be holding their breath as Fofana’s inclusion could make a monumental difference next season. 

By Will Reyner