Wesley Fofana of Chelsea (Photo by GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)
Frank Lebouef claims that Wesley Fofana is immature. naive and damaging his career after moving to Chelsea last summer.
After a long period of speculation, Fofana signed for Chelsea from Leicester City in August for a deal that was worth around £75m in total.
Although injuries and team playing badly have affected his first season at Stamford Bridge, the Frenchman has not done enough to warrant a big-money move so far.
Here’s what Lebouef said when asked about Fofana and his time at Chelsea (h/t ESPN TV, via Daily Mail):
“He has everything he needs to be one of the best centre backs but he needs to grow.
“He’s now in a big club and he needs to grow very quickly making sure his choices are not putting his team in danger.
“His frustration today when he was nutmegged by Bruno Fernandes, his reaction was very naive. It was immature and he has to react better.
“Hopefully everything is going to be erased and banished very soon. If he carries on like that he can damage dramatically his career that’s for sure.”
Lebouef has a history of being too critical while judging the performances of young players. So, this sort of comment from the former French defender is not surprising.
Although we can criticise Fofana for being naive and immature in his first season at a big club, the situation of the team mustn’t have been easy to fathom.
The other thing to note is that he is only 22 and has a long way to go in his footballing career. Every player deserves another chance to showcase his talent and consistency.
The hope is that under the management of Mauricio Pochettino, the young Frenchman will start to show why Chelsea paid big the bucks to sign him last summer.
To be fair, that can be applicable to most young players in the current Blues squad. None of them have settled because of how badly the club has been run in the last 12 months. Fofana is no different.
With a home game on Sunday to wrap this horrendous season up, it is up to the players to show some pride and deliver a big performance against Newcastle United. Few of them might play for their futures at the club.
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