According to BBC analyst Danny Murphy, Wesley Fofana is already Chelsea’s Thiago Silva replacement. The Frenchman, who scored the game-winning goal for the Blues in their first victory in seven games. He relieved pressure on under-fire manager Graham Potter, was hailed for his passing, ball-handling skills, and aerial power.
Chelsea defeated Leeds United by a slim 1-0 margin to earn their first victory in the Premier League since mid-January. Potter can credit Fofana for the win as the former Leicester player headed in a corner from Ben Chilwell.
As the Blues constructed a fierce rearguard defence to keep their opponents at bay, the 22-year-old was equally impressive defensively. Furthermore, his performance earned special praise from football analyst Murphy. He asserted that the Blues have already discovered their next Thiago Silva in the former Liverpool and Fulham midfielder.
“When you play for Chelsea, you need to be good on the ball, you need to be [able to play] forward passes with confidence,” he told Match of the Day when speaking about Fofana.“We see the progressive passing, somebody, similar to [Thiago] Silva, who’s got the confidence to play on the front foot and get Chelsea up the pitch, which they’ve lacked in recent weeks.”
“His passing is excellent, he’s comfortable on the ball, and he’s a threat in both boxes.”
Thiago Silva injury a concern for Chelsea
Fofana missed four months due to an injury sustained during the Champions League victory over AC Milan. He has just recently made a full recovery. Due to Silva’s own knee injury, which will keep him out for the next six weeks. He is not expected to spend an extensive amount of time in the starting lineup.
The Frenchman could hardly contain his enthusiasm after the game. Because it was his second goal since joining Stamford Bridge from Leicester in the summer. That too after Thiago Silva missing games.
“The feeling is incredible,” Fofana told the Chelsea media team after the game. ”After my goal the stadium was crazy. Everybody was all together, and the goal was for the whole club.”
“On Friday at the training ground, I worked on set pieces, the timing of my run, and then I scored. It’s perfect. The injury for four months, it was hard emotionally, but when I scored everything was leaving me.”
“I scored, the team won, and a clean sheet as well. It was a very good day and now we’re focused for Tuesday.”
For Chelsea, who are trying to restart their campaign, it is another crucial week. Next Saturday’s Premier League match will pit Leicester against Borussia Dortmund. They look to overcome a one-goal disadvantage from the first leg on Tuesday.
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