"The kid's not ready" - Steve Nicol fires transfer warning to Chelsea amid links to £85m-rated Premier League star
Former Liverpool defender Steve Nicol has stated that Leicester City centre-back Wesley Fofana will find it difficult to acclimatize himself to the big stage at Chelsea. The French defender has been linked with the Blues.
Fofana, who joined the Foxes from Saint-Etienne for a fee of £31.5 million, has made 50 appearances across all competitions since his arrival in the summer of 2020. The 21-year-old, who is a France U21 international, has helped his club register 13 clean sheets in the process.
According to The Athletic, new Blues co-owner Todd Boehly is currently working on a double swoop for Fofana and Inter Milan right-back Denzel Dumfries. The report added that goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina is expected to be confirmed as the club's third summer signing later this week.
#LCFC
Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers tells @owynnpa that Wesley Fofana is “not for sale”, very clear on club position - same as the board. 🔵 #LCFC
Chelsea have still no intention to give up and will try to negotiate again next week on Fofana/Gvardiol, both really difficult. #CFC https://t.co/PXbRRxBSxa
Speaking to ESPN FC, Nicol gave his opinion on Fofana, claiming he is not close to being the finished product. He said:
"If Fofana goes to Chelsea he's off his head. The kid's not ready, he burst onto the scene – you could say – but he's not anywhere close to being the finished article. His biggest problem is his starting position."
He continued:
"Playing for Leicester week-in, week-out even if you're making mistakes, you'll learn quicker and you'll then be the finished article. You're not going to be doing that at Chelsea if you're not playing regularly, he needs to play regularly."
🦊 Despite making his Premier League debut at 19, Wesley Fofana is yet to make an error directly leading to an opposition goal across his 35 appearances in the competition https://t.co/li6fjCRS30
Former Chelsea centre-back Frank Leboeuf also shared his two cents on the potential summer move. The 1998 FIFA World Cup winner said:
"With Fofana, it's a tricky situation. He plays for Leicester, he has a bright future and he knows that Koulibaly has just signed, Thiago Silva is there, Chalobah is still there so where is he going to be put in that situation? Is there going to be a rotation system?"
So far, the west London outfit have announced the signings of Raheem Sterling from Manchester City and Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli.
Fulham keen to sign Chelsea's Malang Sarr
According to The Evening Standard, Fulham have tabled offers for Chelsea defender Malang Sarr and West Ham United centre-back Issa Diop. The report adds that the Blues are unwilling to part with the 23-year-old until a reinforcement arrives at Stamford Bridge.
Sarr, who has three years left on his deal at Stamford Bridge, joined the Blues in the summer of 2020 on a free transfer. He made 21 appearances across all competitions for Thomas Tuchel's side last campaign.