Chelsea star reveals Enzo Maresca intervened to stop him leaving in the summer | Football

The 23-year-old defender joined Chelsea in a £70million switch from Leicester back in 2022 but endured a tough start to his career in west London, missing four months of his debut season due to a serious knee injury.

And just as Fofana appeared to be building some momentum, the Frenchman ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament which kept him sidelined for the entirety of the 2023/24 campaign.

Perhaps understandably, a long absence from the side had Fofana fearing for his future at Chelsea, with a new manager arriving in the summer and competition for places fierce amongst the club’s defensive options.

Marseille subsequently made an approach for Fofana and the France international even spoke privately with Medhi Benatia, the Ligue 1 outfit’s sporting director.

‘I had a call that really touched me, and it would be a lie to say that I didn’t consider it,’ Fofana told Telefoot.

‘It was Medhi Benatia, sporting director of OM, and it touched me. Everyone knows why… I had a thought, but the goal, at the moment, is to succeed at Chelsea.

‘We had a call from Mr Benatia. It’s true that it went “boom, boom” in my heart because I was coming back from injury and I didn’t know if I was going to be part of the club’s project.

‘But I had a discussion with the coach and and he told me that he was counting on me this season. So, I said I was very happy, I was 100 per cent with Chelsea.

‘But after that, it’s true that Marseille are in my heart, so we’ll see…’

Fofana – who is tied into a contract until 2029 – appears to have put his injuries problems behind him and has started the new season brightly, starting all but one of Chelsea’s matches in the Premier League.

The former Leicester and Saint-Etienne man will no doubt be desperate to continue his run in Maresca’s XI on Sunday when the Blues take on Manchester United at Old Trafford.

The west London giants sit fifth in the table heading into the weekend’s action and could move into the top four should results go their way over the coming days.

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