Wesley Fofana will unlock Reece James’ quality, says former Chelsea GK Rob Green
Chelsea have reached an agreement with Leicester City to sign centre-back Fofana, with a fourth bid worth around £70m eventually successful.
The Foxes were reluctant to let Fofana leave but the player was desperate to move to Stamford Bridge after being linked with the Blues and was subsequently dropped from the squad as Leicester were beaten 2-1 by Chelsea on Saturday.
Fofana’s expected arrival will be a big boost to Thomas Tuchel’s side, who have endured a turbulent start to the season with two wins, a draw and a defeat from their first four games.
Chelsea overhauled their defence this summer with Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger departing for Barcelona and Real Madrid, while Kalidou Koulibaly and Marc Cucurella joined the club from Napoli and Brighton respectively.
Former Chelsea ‘keeper Green feels that the arrival of Fofana will help get the best from current Blues defender James as it will allow him to get forward more often.
‘[Chelsea] are playing catch-up and have to pay the money,’ Green told the BBC. ‘They will get a great player. He immediately ticks the boxes and is also one of the future.
‘Reece James’ quality is on the ball. Wesley Fofana ticks a box for the centre-half position but also strengthens elsewhere as James can go forward.’
Meanwhile, Leicester legend Gary Lineker tweeted over the weekend: ‘Gutted to lose him but wish Wesley Fofana well.
‘Every player wants to play Champions League football so it’s understandable.
‘Chelsea fans, you’ve got the most prodigiously talented young central defender in the world. Yes, I believe he’s that good.’
Fofana responded to that tweet with a string of emojis as he appeared to thank Lineker for his kind words.
Fofana joined Leicester in 2020 from Ligue 1 side Saint-Etienne for a £36.5m fee and has played 52 games for the Foxes across all competitions, helping them win the 2020-21 FA Cup and signing a long-term contract in March until 2027.
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