Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has admitted Wesley Fofana “could be out for the season” with his hamstring injury more serious than first thought.
Fofana has been plagued by injury worries since injuring his knee in October 2022, months after arriving from Leicester City in a deal worth around £69.5m. The Frenchman missed four months before tearing the cruciate ligament in his other knee at the end of his debut season.
Belatedly returning to full fitness at the start of the current season, Fofana started 12 of Chelsea's first 13 starts. Premier League matches – just leaving the trip to Liverpool with a suspension. The 24-year-old retired with a hamstring complaint in early December and initially dismissed it as “nothing serious”.
However, after a month on the sidelines, Maresca told reporters on Friday: “Wes (Fofana) is going to be out for a very long time. Unfortunately he could be out for the season. We don't know exactly but he could be out for Part of the season Whenever you ask me about Wes, I've said many times that I'm in love with Wes.
The Italian manager did not go into details, but confirmed that the operation for Fofana would not be required “at the moment”.
While the Blues will be without Fofana for the foreseeable future, they will welcome back another injury-prone defender for Saturday's trip to Crystal Palace. Maresca revealed club captain Reece James is “in line for a few minutes” at Selhurst Park.
The captain had only been able to muster four appearances all season before carrying another hip problem in November. James made the bench for Chelsea's 2-0 defeat to Ipswich Town on Monday night and will take to the pitch in south London.
Fellow defender Benoit Badiashile is not expected back until February, while midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall remains sidelined with a knock. There was a positive update on Romeo Lavia, a player Maresca claimed “is very close to returning”.