Chelsea drop 23-year-old star who started in Premier League opener vs Manchester City for Blues’ squad for Europa Conference League clash
Chelsea have chosen to omit centre-back Wesley Fofana from their squad to face Swiss side Servette FC in the qualifiers of the Europa Conference League on Thursday, August 22. According to Nizaar Kinsella of BBC Sport, the 23-year-old will be unavailable for the first leg.
Fofana played the full 90 minutes alongside Levi Colwill in central defense for the Blues in their 2-0 loss to Manchester City in their Premier League opener on Sunday, August 18. While the Frenchman is not believed to have suffered an injury, he will still be out of contention for the Conference League fixture.
Fofana missed the entirety of the 2023-24 campaign with a knee injury he suffered in pre-season. He signed for Chelsea from Leicester City in the summer of 2022 for a reported fee of £70 million but has made just 21 appearances across competitions for the London side.
Benoit Badiashile or Axel Disasi are expected to take his place in the line-up. Fofana will be ineligible only for the first leg and could still return for the second leg, which will be played at Stamford Bridge next week.
Alongside Fofana, Raheem Sterling, Tosin Adarabioyo, and Ben Chilwell have also been left out of the squad. The game could be an opportunity for the likes of Mykhailo Mudryk, Reece James, and Noni Madueke to see some action for the first time under Enzo Maresca as they did not feature against City.
Newly-promoted Premier League side reach agreement to sign Chelsea forward on loan: Reports
Ipswich Town are finalizing a deal to sign Chelsea striker Armando Broja. According to Fabrizio Romano, the Tractor Boys will sign the Albanian forward on a season-long loan with an obligation-to-buy clause.
The clause, believed to be worth £30 million, will be triggered if Kieran McKenna's side can avoid relegation. The move is also contingent on the side agreeing a contract with the 22-year-old at the end of the season.
Although Broja was a part of the Blues' contingent that toured the US in pre-season, he was earmarked to depart Stamford Bridge in the summer as the Blues look to trim down their squad.
One of Chelsea's academy products, Broja suffered a devastating ACL injury in December 2022 that kept him out for an extended period. He returned last season but struggled to find game time with the Blues.
Eventually, the Albanian moved on loan to Fulham for the second half of the campaign but managed to get just 80 minutes of game time.