Chelsea: £75m star 'not expected' to return at Stamford Bridge | OneFootball

Chelsea will 'not expect' Wesley Fofana to be fit in time to face West Ham United at the London Stadium as he steps up his recovery from injury, journalist Ben Dinnery has told GIVEMESPORT.

The 22-year-old has endured a frustrating campaign at Stamford Bridge due to various fitness issues, which have curtailed his opportunity to make an impact in the Blues' defence since joining from Leicester City for £75 million last summer.

Chelsea latest injury news - Wesley Fofana

Recently, The Evening Standard revealed that Fofana has accelerated his recovery from a knee injury that has kept him out for most of the 2022/23 campaign at Stamford Bridge.

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In the report, Fofana is said to have a chance of featuring against West Ham United this weekend; however, he's definitely likely to be in contention before the end of February should the contest at the London Stadium arrive too soon.

The Marseille-born centre-back has managed to make just six appearances for Chelsea this campaign in all competitions, with just four of them coming in the Premier League, as per Transfermarkt.

Graham Potter will be relieved to hear that Mykhaylo Mudryk and Christian Pulisic are getting nearer to full fitness. Despite this, Chelsea trio N'Golo Kante, Armando Broja and Edouard Mendy remain absent for the forseeable future.

What has Ben Dinnery said about Wesley Fofana?

Journalist Dinnery has stated that he doesn't believe Fofana will be available in time for the Blues' trip to West Ham United this weekend, citing the 'recurrence' of his injury in a closed-door match against Brentford last December as a further setback

Dinnery told GMS: "Yeah, that's certainly one that I definitely would not expect [Fofana return]; last competitive game probably over four months now; I think it was the beginning of October.

Would Fofana returning boost Chelsea going forward?

Having struggled to make any real impact due to injury in what has been a poor season for Chelsea, Fofana would be welcomed back into the fold keenly by the Stamford Bridge faithful as they look for fresh ideas to halt their struggling form.

Conversely, one positive note for Chelsea recently has been their solid defensive performances, enabling them to keep three clean sheets in their last three Premier League matches.

Thiago Silva has been immense in the Blues' backline, while new signing Benoit Badiashile has settled in nicely in West London and made an impression in his time on the pitch.

Fofana may have a job of displacing him as Potter's preferred choice in central defence, though it is a challenge the Frenchman will relish as he returns from his unfortunate time with injury.