Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca faced the press ahead of this weekend’s London derby away against Crystal Palace as he confirmed his team will be without Wesley Fofana, who has been a mainstay in the defence since the start of the campaign.
Fofana could be on the sidelines for the rest of the season due to a hamstring injury.
The Frenchman already had a torrid 2023-24 campaign after surgery on his anterior cruciate ligament but began this season in fine form as a rock in Maresca’s backline.
The 24-year-old has started every game he was available for before he sustained an injury against Aston Villa last month – with the Blues appearing shaky at the back since his injury.
“Unfortunately Wes will be out for a very long time and Benoit will be out for at least until February,” Maresca said to newsmen ahead of the game.
“Unfortunately he [Fofana] could be out for the season. We don’t know exactly but he could be out for part of the season.”
On the other hand, Maresca confirmed there is no need for surgery at the moment while Reece James is back in training having last featured in November.
“Reece is back from the last game and in line for some minutes, while Romeo [Lavia] is very close to returning, he has started to work with us,” Maresca continued.
“Romeo, we all consider him a top player, but the most important thing is for him to be fit. Kiernan [Dewsbury-Hall] is still out.”
Chelsea were in second position at the start of December to give their fans hope of a title challenge. But one month later, they are fourth – 10 points behind Liverpool who sit at the summit with a game in hand.
But Maresca reiterated he had already shut down their title chances on many occasions, explaining that this season was about transition and blending well as a team.
“I didn’t need to wait to lose games to understand that [Chelsea would not be title contenders],” Maresca said.
“I said already many times, I don’t think nobody in this room expected us to be here.
“We don’t like to lose games or drop points, but it is not going to affect our journey. We are aware that during the season, you are going to lose games.
“You don’t need only good players, the talent is not enough [to win titles]. You need to add more things, things we are adding like togetherness and becoming a team in a difficult moment.”
