Fofana says stability can deliver an "amazing" Chelsea future after a turbulent season
Wesley Fofana, the 25-year-old Chelsea centre-back who has one cap for France (2023), said during Chelsea's pre-season on 13 August 2026 that after shedding tears, facing criticism and exposing racist abuse last season he believes stability will produce an "amazing" future at the club.
Fofana joined Chelsea from Leicester City in 2022 for a £75m fee and is the last remaining signing from that summer; following Marc Cucurella's move to Real Madrid he is Chelsea's longest-serving player aside from academy graduate Reece James. He has started 46 Premier League games since joining four years ago and has said playing for the club was his "dream" because he supported Chelsea as a boy growing up in Marseille and admired Didier Drogba.
The centre-back featured heavily under new manager Xabi Alonso in pre-season, being selected in Alonso's strongest XI for three of five matches. Fofana said he is now fit and healthy after a sequence of injuries that included a broken leg at Leicester, an ACL injury and hamstring surgery at Chelsea, adding: "For me, the most important thing last season was to be fit, just to remove this from my head - the injuries and other things." He also joked: "Thanks, Filip," referring to Filip Jorgensen punching him during an aerial challenge and denying him a truly injury-free campaign last season.
Chelsea's struggles last season — a 10th-place Premier League finish and no trophies — brought criticism that at times focused on Fofana, amplified by footage of him laughing on the bench during a heavy Champions League defeat by Paris St-Germain in March. He said club-mates "know my mentality" and accepted being a target: "When the team is not doing well, we need to find someone [to blame]. I can accept that. The club bought me for a very big transfer [fee]. I came with the ambition to be the best in my position and to help the team. So, when things go badly, I accept being the guy [people blame]."
Fofana declined to place blame solely on managers amid recent instability; Enzo Maresca left after a falling out with the hierarchy and Liam Rosenior's four-month spell included a five-game winless run without a goal and eroded dressing-room support. He said: "Of course we can use this as an excuse, but I think it's the players. We didn't give everything. We lost some games, we produced some poor performances and we missed a lot of things. Of course you can't bring that into the new season, but I think everyone knows what was wrong last season. Everyone looked at themselves in the mirror."
The defender, who is Muslim with a father from Ivory Coast, reported receiving racist abuse on Instagram last season and highlighted further abuse in March 2025. He said such messages hurt and that he will continue to expose them: "It is not a big thing to expose people who do that. For me, it is very important. For me and other players, we need to show what people are saying. We need to educate people. I think the people behind Instagram need to work on that. I exposed this on Instagram and Twitter [now called X] because I think they need to be more aware and more conscious of this problem. It is not only football. I think the world is a little bit like this and it is too easy to say some things. Sometimes I receive messages and I don't think these people are racist. They send monkey emojis because they are unhappy with the result and then, if I score in the next game, the same people support me. We need to educate people because it is not normal to talk like this. I understand that if I get a red card, you can be disappointed, but you cannot say these things." He added that young players have shown him similar messages and chosen not to act and said he will keep speaking out even if it brings criticism of his character.
Competition for places is intense: Chelsea have signed Maxence Lacroix, list nine centre-backs on their books and maintain a group of players considered "untouchable" — a list that does not include Fofana. When asked about squad numbers he said: "Yes we have a lot, I think there are nine or 10. Everyone needs to be good, to train well and after the manager takes the decision. It's like this for everyone. Maybe some guys will leave, others will come again. For myself, it is about training well, trying to be fit and we will see what the manager does. If the club tells me they don't need me anymore, it is like this. Of course I will be sad but this is football. You can't say 'I have my place and I am sure to play'."
Fofana said he wants to remain at Chelsea and has been reassured by sporting directors and the board about a change of direction, citing the signings of Jordan Henderson and Danny Welbeck — aged 36 and 35 respectively — as examples of that shift. He said the pair "know how to win big games", will be "important in training sessions" and may give one or two players "a kicking" if they are slacking, and stressed the need for managerial continuity: "I think everyone knows we need stability. We talked last season with the directors and they said the same thing. They think the same way as the players. We need stability."
