da 888casino： Chelsea have suffered a devastating injury blow before the season has even begun, but how can they mitigate for Wesley Fofana's long-term absence?
da wazamba： If there was one area of the pitch that looked fairly settled for Chelsea going into the new season, amid the chaos of their ruthless clear-out this summer, it was central defence. That was until just before 3pm on Tuesday, as rumours began to swirl about a potentially serious injury to one of their key centre-backs.
With the cat already out of the bag, Chelsea moved swiftly to confirm the worst-case scenario: Wesley Fofana had ruptured his ACL. After undergoing reconstructive surgery, the young Frenchman faces an extended and arduous rehabilitation period, with his season over before it has even begun.
"It’s really sad, really bad news. We feel all so sad. All we can do is help him,' Mauricio Pochettino said. "We know it’s a tough injury but we hope he can be as soon as possible with the team. We need to keep going. The competition is there, in one month we start, it doesn’t wait for anyone and we need to be ready to compete."
As Pochettino alluded to, Chelsea must mitigate for Fofana's devastating injury blow. GOAL runs though their options…
(C)GettyImagesTime for Colwill to step up
Chelsea had already made their stance on Levi Colwill pretty clear this summer following his impressive loan at Brighton in 2022-23; the academy graduate is not for sale. Fofana's untimely injury will only serve to solidify their position.
The England Under-21 international now has top-flight pedigree and seems more than ready to make the step up to the Blues' first team following consecutive successful loans at Huddersfield and Brighton.
There were already calls for him to be given his chance, and with Benoit Badiashile also out injured, he may well walk into Mauricio Pochettino's team when the new season rolls around.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesAnother chance for Chalobah
Since making an unexpected, belated first-team breakthrough under Thomas Tuchel in 2021-22, Trevoh Chalobah has emerged as a versatile and reliable rotation option for Chelsea. Indeed, he is no stranger to covering for Fofana, who missed 20 games last season as a result of two separate knee injuries.
The Blues know he is capable of stepping up, but whether they believe he has the quality to fill the void long-term is another question. Chalobah, too, may have designs on a more significant role than 'reliable back-up'. Before the extent of Fofana's injury was revealed, it had been reported that Chelsea were open to letting him leave if a suitable offer arrived.
If Pochettino wants to plan ahead with Chalobah regularly featuring in his back four or back three, his future needs to be resolved very swiftly.
GettyJames at centre-back & Gusto's chance
Reece James could provide another solution – but it would come at a cost. Known for his outstanding work as a flying wing-back, James has previously been deployed as the right, overlapping centre-back in a back three.
Shifting the England international back into central defence would also create an opening for new signing Malo Gusto on the right side of defence, who is capable of operating at both right-back and wing-back.
The main problem with this reshuffle is that James – arguably Chelsea's best player – is hugely effective at ends of the pitch, and would therefore be shackled at centre-back. Indeed, at times he has been the Blues' most important attacking player in recent seasons.
GettyMove for Maguire?
Almost as soon as the news of the extent of Fofana's injury broke, it was reported that Chelsea will enter the transfer market for a replacement – but only if the right opportunity presents itself.
The first name to be linked? Harry Maguire, of course. It was almost inevitable that those dots would be joined after the England stalwart was stripped of the Manchester United captaincy and told he could leave Old Trafford over the weekend. He is a centre-back who has thrived in a back-three system with England, after all.
However, while his availability understandably makes him an option, United's £50m ($65m) price tag should be a stumbling block in the context of his fall from grace at club level and Chelsea's recent big-money misses in the transfer market. At 30, he also doesn't fit the age profile of the Blues' more recent signings.
It has been claimed that a loan is an option, but the structure of such a deal would be complex at best, with the Red Devils determined to shift their former skipper permanently. Even if Chelsea covered his £190,000-per-week ($248,000) salary, that would still disrupt the newly-established wage structure.