Chelsea FC sign French defender Wesley Fofana from Leicester

London, Aug 31

Chelsea FC on Wednesday signed French centre-back Wesley Fofana from Leicester City on a seven-year deal. The 21-year-old will bolster Thomas Tuchel's defence for the 2022-23 season, following the arrivals of Kalidou Koulibaly and Marc Cucurella earlier in the summer.

"The two last days have been really big days for me and I'm very happy. I trained this morning with the team and it's a dream for me. I'm very excited to start playing games for the fans and the club," said Fofana after completing his signing.

"I'm here to win trophies - the Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup, everything. I came here to win and the club is built to win trophies so I'm here to continue that," he added.

After impressing in his homeland France with Saint-Etienne, Fofana further proved his credentials as one of the game's most promising all-round defenders with his performances during two seasons in England with Leicester.

He was named as the Foxes' Young Player of the Year in his debut campaign in the Premier League, 2020/21, with one of his best performances in England so far coming against Chelsea in that season's FA Cup final, as Leicester won the trophy for the first time.

Although he missed part of last season through leg injury, he instantly picked up where he left off on his return and starred for Leicester as they reached the Europa Conference League semifinals, their only appearance at that stage of a European competition.

"Wesley is a hugely promising defender who has already proven his quality in the Premier League at a young age. We are delighted we were able to bring one of Europe's most exciting talents to Chelsea and further strengthen that area of our squad, both for this season and many more to come," said Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly.

--IANS