Chelsea's erratic strategy in the transfer market was always going to be a risky manoeuvre, especially given the huge influx of new players arriving at Stamford Bridge.
Players such as Cole Palmer, Enzo Fernández and Moises Caicedo have all made a positive impact at the club since arriving despite their hefty transfer fees.
Fernandez and Caicedo both cost the club over £100m in deals that broke the English transfer record, but have proved to be money well spent under boss Mauricio Pochettino.
It would be harsh to question Todd Boehly's ambition with his spending since the takeover. However, one thing that can be questioned is the erratic nature of the spending – with many players failing to match up with the hefty fees spent on them.
One player, in particular, has failed to live up to expectations after his own big-money move to join the club, with the £75m man only featuring a handful of times because of his relentless injury problems.
Wesley Fofana's record since joining Chelsea
During his nearly two-year stint at Stamford Bridge, 23-year-old centre-back Wesley Fofana has only made 20 appearances for the club, after multiple injury struggles.
The defender made his debut in the 2-1 win against West Ham United in September 2022, before suffering a serious knee injury in his second outing against Crystal Palace.
Fofana was subsequently ruled out until February, with the Frenchman making his return during the 1-0 defeat at home to Southampton. He enjoyed a good run in the Blues side before the end of the 2022/23 campaign, before another injury setback during pre-season back in August.
Knee injury
71
17
Knee injury
55
9
ACL tear
250
41
His awful run of injuries saw the defender suffer a fresh setback, as he suffered another serious blow and underwent surgery to repair his ruptured ACL.
Fofana hasn't featured at all during the 2023/24 season, with the defender still recovering from his latest injury setback which he suffered in pre-season.
Pochettino confirmed that the 23-year-old wouldn't feature for the Blues before the current campaign is over, with the former Leicester City defender aiming to return ahead of the start of the 2024/25 season in August.
Wesley Fofana's market value in 2024
After joining the club for £75m, his value has taken a nose dive given his extended period on the sidelines.
Although he joined the club with real potential, the centre-back, who was touted to be the next Virgil Van Dijk by former boss Brendan Rodgers, hasn't hit the levels expected due to injury, with the 23-year-old's market value taking a huge hit.
Fofana – who Rodgers said was "showing very similar [qualities] to what [Virgil] van Dijk was at Celtic" – is now only valued at £27m, as per Transfermarkt, a decrease of roughly 64% on the figure the club paid for him less than two years ago.
Whilst you could argue that it is harsh to blame Chelsea for his injury issues, Fofana missed a staggering 72 matches through injury during his time with Leicester, which shows that the warning signs were there.
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He's proved to be a huge "waste of money", as dubbed by Dutch legend Wesley Sneijder, with Fofana also taking home a weekly wage of £200k-per-week, which sees him rake in £10.4m every season.
Given all the stats behind his failed move, Pochettino and the board should look to offload the Frenchman, with his value and wages going a long way to help the club in their battle against FFP.