Chelsea are a long way off the days when they used to have world-class players left, right and centre. Instead, Blues head coach Enzo Maresca is working with a very young group that will hopefully grow into a super team with more experience and time.
There’s so much young and exciting talent when you look across the Chelsea squad.
Tim Sherwood thinks Chelsea’s Cole Palmer is on his way to becoming world-class, which is a fair enough assessment when you see his attacking output. The attacker’s scored 37 goals and made 20 assists in 57 Blues appearances since joining from Manchester City.
However, can any other stars at Stamford Bridge push their way into the conversation for world-class status?
Robbie Mustoe tips Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana as a future superstar
Pundit Robbie Mustoe has made the very interesting claim that Chelsea’s Wesley Fofana, 23, has the potential to develop into a “world-class” defender.
The French centre-half has had some horrid luck with injuries in his career so far, but he’s made a positive start to the new season as a key player for Enzo Maresca’s defence.
When discussing Fofana via NBC Sports, Mustoe said: “I think he’s a potential superstar…
“He wasn’t outstanding [against Manchester United], but if you look at the moments where he does get caught one-on-one, he’s very, very quick. We know he’s super confident on the ball.
“We know he’s had a ton of injury issues, so I’m not blasting it out there. I’m just saying to everybody when you watch him keep an eye on and watch him play. He’s a defender and got great pace. I think he’s got the potential to be an outstanding, really world-class centre-back.”
Maresca previously admitted this season he loves Fofana as a player, so it’s no surprise he’s started nine out of 10 league games this season. In fact, the only match he was absent from was because of suspension.
Have Chelsea found their centre-back partnership?
It’s been pretty clear in the opening months of the season that Maresca is giving Chelsea’s new-look defence a run of opportunities together to prove themselves.
Fofana and Levi Colwill have been the starting combination at centre-back this campaign. But in nine league matches starting together, they’ve conceded 10 times and looked vulnerable in moments.
Colwill claims he enjoys playing playing alongside Fofana, explaining that the defenders compliment each other well. While there’s so much potential with the ball-playing centre-halves, they’re tactically still learning and perhaps lack some authority at the back.
In terms of Fofana, he needs to keep himself fit and available in order to fulfil his potential.
| Season | Chelsea Appearances |
| 2024/25 | 9 |
| 2023/24 | 0 |
| 2022/23 | 20 |
Now into his third season at Chelsea, Fofana is still shy of 30 games for the club. He can’t be talked about as an elite defender until he finds consistency and form over an extended period.
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