EPL

Fofana fires parting shot at Rodgers after completing Chelsea move

By Sports Desk August 31, 2022

Wesley Fofana took aim at Brendan Rodgers after sealing his move to Chelsea, accusing the Leicester City manager of looking to "expose" him in recent weeks.

Fofana completed his long-awaited move to Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, signing a seven-year contract after a deal in the region of £75million was struck.

Leicester rejected multiple bids from Chelsea before their demands were met, and the build-up to the defender's departure was not entirely amicable.

Fofana was made to train with Leicester's under-23 squad after professing his desire to join Chelsea, with Rodgers declaring he was "not in the right frame of mind" to play for Leicester.

Rodgers also unfavourably compared Fofana's attitude to that of Harry Maguire, who left Leicester for Manchester United in 2019, stating: "Harry, in terms of his behaviour and his focus for the club, he was fantastic right until the last minute, then he moved on. It was different."

In a message addressing Leicester's supporters on Wednesday, Fofana hit out at "false and misleading comments" made by his former club.

"During these two seasons here, I have probably experienced the most intense moments of my young football career. I have grown as a player but also as a man," he wrote on Instagram.

"Thank you to you, Foxes fans, for your kindness and your constant support, even in the moments you were led to believe I didn't respect the club.

"I chose not to communicate during this transfer window despite all the criticism and all the often false and misleading comments, even when they were coming from the club. I understood and I learned. 

"I didn't want to damage the image of the institution and I chose to take it rather than answer. I thank Top [chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha] for his understanding.

"Thanks to the managers, to the coach who has always appreciated me, even if he chose to expose me a lot lately... I got it, coach.

"There were ups and downs but I never cheated, you can be sure of that."

Fofana could be in line to make his Chelsea debut when they host West Ham on Saturday, with Thomas Tuchel's team having gone down 2-1 to Southampton last time out.

Related items

  • Leicester's Fatawu ruled out for rest of season with ACL injury Leicester's Fatawu ruled out for rest of season with ACL injury

    Leicester City manager Steve Cooper confirmed Abdul Fatawu will miss the rest of the season.

    The 20-year-old sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury (ACL) while playing for Ghana against Angola during the international break.

    Fatawu has featured in all 11 of Leicester's Premier League matches so far this season and has registered two assists.

    No Leicester player has attempted (61) or completed (29) more dribbles than him, while his 30 crosses is also a team-high in the top-flight this season.

    "It's not good, it's a serious injury," said Cooper ahead of their match against Chelsea on Saturday.

    "It's a real blow, first and foremost for him, being a young player and having an injury as serious as what an ACL is.

    "Albeit, it can be quite common in sport, and in particular football, but it's still a serious injury.

    "For it to happen at a young age is a blow for him and a blow for us as well.

    "He's obviously a big talent and a young player, as exciting as he can be at his age, with lots to learn.

    "It's only a pause, and we will make sure, as difficult as it is at the moment for him, that he comes back being a stronger player and person, which, with the mentality and character that he has, I think will be the case."

  • Arsenal qualifying for Champions League quarter-finals feels 'surreal', says Slegers Arsenal qualifying for Champions League quarter-finals feels 'surreal', says Slegers

    Renee Slegers says it feels "surreal" that Arsenal have secured their place in the Champions League quarter-finals with two games to spare.

    The Gunners will finish at least second in Group C after Lina Hurtig's late strike secured a 1-0 win over Juventus on Thursday.

    What looked to be a frustrating encounter was turned around by Slegers' substitutions, and after missing a glorious chance, Hurtig was eventually the difference at the Emirates.

    Arsenal created 3.69 expected goals (xG) from their nine shots, getting three on target, compared to just 0.5 for Juventus, who tested Daphne van Domselaar the same amount of times.

    Slegers was impressed by her side's resilience as they pushed to come away with all three points.

    "It's surreal to be honest," Slegers said post-match. "I never felt we would get into this situation. We have done really well.

    "I was part of Jonas [Eidevall's] staff and there was so much that was built during his time. I don't want to separate that. There is so much we are still building on. It's surreal in so many ways but we are very happy.

    "I'm just happy for the team to win. Obviously, we have amazing depth in the squad, and we know anyone can do it for us - whether it's starting players or finishing players.

    "It's the visualisation of how much everyone contributes in the team. I think that's what it means for us."

    Slegers took over as interim manager following Jonas Eidevall's departure last month and has gone unbeaten in her first seven games, winning six and drawing one.

    They have won each of their last five in all competitions, and have not conceded a goal in their previous four matches.

    "It was just a very impressive block of the team," Slegers said. "We conceded only one goal during this whole block, so defensively very solid.

    "The players have been stepping up big time, they've been owning this; we tried to relay it back to them all the time, so giving them the ownership.

    "I'm just very happy with how the block has been, different challenges along the way, so all games have asked something different from us. We've responded to that really well, sticking to our identity but also playing the game that's ahead of us."

  • Arsenal qualifying for Champions League quarter-finals feel surreal, says Slegers Arsenal qualifying for Champions League quarter-finals feel surreal, says Slegers

    Renee Slegers says it feels "surreal" that Arsenal have secured their place in the Champions League quarter-finals with two games to spare.

    The Gunners will finish at least second in Group C after Lina Hurtig's late strike secured a 1-0 win over Juventus on Thursday.

    What looked to be a frustrating encounter was turned around by Slegers' substitutions, and after missing a glorious chance, Hurtig was eventually the difference at the Emirates.

    Arsenal created 3.69 expected goals (xG) from their nine shots, getting three on target, compared to just 0.5 for Juventus, who tested Daphne van Domselaar the same amount of times.

    Slegers was impressed by her side's resilience as they pushed to come away with all three points.

    "It's surreal to be honest," Slegers said post-match. "I never felt we would get into this situation. We have done really well.

    "I was part of Jonas [Eidevall's] staff and there was so much that was built during his time. I don't want to separate that. There is so much we are still building on. It's surreal in so many ways but we are very happy.

    "I'm just happy for the team to win. Obviously, we have amazing depth in the squad, and we know anyone can do it for us - whether it's starting players or finishing players.

    "It's the visualisation of how much everyone contributes in the team. I think that's what it means for us."

    Slegers took over as interim manager following Jonas Eidevall's departure last month and has gone unbeaten in her first seven games, winning six and drawing one.

    They have won each of their last five in all competitions, and have not conceded a goal in their previous four matches.

    "It was just a very impressive block of the team," Slegers said. "We conceded only one goal during this whole block, so defensively very solid.

    "The players have been stepping up big time, they've been owning this; we tried to relay it back to them all the time, so giving them the ownership.

    "I'm just very happy with how the block has been, different challenges along the way, so all games have asked something different from us. We've responded to that really well, sticking to our identity but also playing the game that's ahead of us."

© 2024 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.