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Chelsea Star Wesley Fofana Spotted With Heavy Strapping After West Ham Win
https://www.givemesport.com/fofana-pictured-with-heavy-strapping-over-knee-after-west-ham-win/
Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana has been pictured with heavy strapping around his knee after Enzo Maresca's outfit's comfortable victory over West Ham at the London Stadium.
A first half brace from Nicholas Jackson gave the Blues a commanding lead at the break, before Cole Palmer's breakaway goal wrapped up all three points for the travelling side, as they ran out 3-0 winners in East London. The result moves the West Londoners up to third in the league table for at least a few hours, a sign of steady progress for Maresca's team.
While it was an overwhelmingly positive day for the Italian head coach, one negative was the potential injury to Fofana. The Frenchman was hooked after just 57 minutes, replaced by Axel Disasi, and images emerging with bandages wrapped around his left knee suggest it may not be pretty for the defender.
Fofana Pictured With Strapping, He has struggled persistently with injuries
Since arriving at Chelsea from Leicester City in August 2022 for a blockbuster fee believed to be in the region of £75 million, Fofana has persistently struggled with injury issues. The centre-back, who reportedly earns £200,000-per-week, sustained a serious knee injury in his debut campaign at Stamford Bridge, which saw him manage just 20 appearances across all competitions, before suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury shortly after his return.
Not featuring once last season under Mauricio Pochettino, the France international has begun the new campaign positively, starting all five of Chelsea's Premier League games thus far. However, he may have experienced a further set-back during today's routine win over West Ham.
Being taken off with 33 minutes to play wasn't a good indicator of his physical state, but the images that have since surfaced are more concerning. When applauding the away fans for their support at the end of the game, Fofana was photographed with layers of bandages strapped around his knee, the same part of the body that has been severely damaged previously.
While the issue may have just been an impact knock, and the Chelsea medical team could be taking precautionary measures to protect their injury-prone defender, the image doesn't make for good reading for the Blues. The ex-Saint-Etienne man has been filling in at right-back due to the absences of Reece James and Malo Gusto, and another problem for Fofana would leave Mareasca seriously depleted in this part of the pitch.
Jackson Silences Mikel
The striker has beared the brunt of criticsim
While Maresca may have a fresh concern with the potential injury to Fofana, the improvement in form for Jackson will delight the former Leicester manager. The Senegalese silenced Chelsea legend John Obi Mikel, who questioned the number nine's goalscoring prowess earlier this season, by adding his third and fourth strikes of the campaign against the Hammers.
Two excellently taken goals put Chelsea in the driving seat in Stratford, first driving at the Hammers' defence before slotting underneath Alphonse Areola, and then poking beyond the French keeper, after being played clear through by Moises Caicedo. Despite receiving pelters regularly for his displays last season, Jackson netted 14 Premier League goals and looks set to build on this tally this time around.
