Chelsea are weighing up whether to make a move for Monaco midfielder Youssouf Fofana, according to reports in England.
The Blues’ co-sporting director Laurence Stewart knows the France international well, having worked for Monaco before moving to Stamford Bridge last October. He would likely be a cheaper alternative than Southampton’s Romeo Lavia, who Chelsea are also interested in, but fans on Twitter are split on whether Fofana would be a good addition to the squad:
@SebC__ Low cost, good at basics. Don’t mind it
— #8 (@_JoeAlexanderr) May 1, 2023
He’s bad
— Amıııne 🇲🇦💎 (@Amine0609) May 1, 2023
Pretty good player
— Nathan (@prideoflondon29) May 1, 2023
Oh no
— Malcom A (@abesvich) May 1, 2023
He is a very good player i like it
— araz_r_ali (@ArazAk39333456) May 1, 2023
Not another Bakayoko I hope…..
— “Just one more thing…” (@B_rubble1) May 1, 2023
He’s terrible 😭😭😭
— Nebz (@Nebz2k) May 1, 2023
Yes yes yes
— Lethal (@CFCLethal) May 1, 2023
bakayoko vibes😂
— BLASTY⭐⭐🇮🇳 (@BLASTY_cfc) May 1, 2023
While Fofana is a solid holding midfield player, you do feel that he lacks the sort of quality in possession required to be effective in a midfield two if, that is, Chelsea keep faith with a 3-4-3 system under their next manager.
Two goals and one assist in 42 appearances this season kind of tells you all you need to know about his limited impact in the final third of the pitch. If he is brought in simply to fill a gap in the squad, with the likes of Denis Zakaria, Mateo Kovacic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and, potentially, N’Golo Kante all leaving then he could be a useful signing.