London — Wesley Fofana took aim at his former club Leicester City after completing his contentious transfer to Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.
According to reports, Fofana signed a seven-year contract with Chelsea, who would spend up to £70 million for the French central defender.
The 21-year-old was benched by Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers after Chelsea’s interest became known, sparking an acrimonious transfer dispute that lasted several weeks.
Leicester have fallen to the bottom of the Premier League due in part to Fofana’s absence, prompting Rodgers to make scathing remarks about disgruntled players destabilizing his group.
However, Fofana responded once his sensational transfer to west London was finalized.
“Thank you, Foxes supporters, for your generosity and unwavering support, even when you were persuaded to believe I didn’t appreciate the club. I will never forget how we collectively vibrated, exulted, and wept. Fofana posted on Instagram, “I will never forget you.”
“I elected not to communicate throughout this transfer window despite all the criticism and frequently incorrect and misleading statements, even those from the club itself.
“I comprehended and I learned. I chose to decline the question rather than answer so as not to harm the institution’s reputation.
“I thank Top (Srivaddhanaprabha, chairman) for his understanding, gratitude to the managers, and to the coach who has always admired me, even though he chose to expose me a great deal in recent weeks. I have it, coach.
“There were ups and downs, but you can rest assured that I never cheated. Thank you to everyone who works here every day; you are our club’s soul!”
Fofana will be an important addition for Chelsea following the exits of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen to Real Madrid and Barcelona, respectively.
After transferring to Leicester in October 2020 for a reported £32 million from Saint-Étienne, he made 52 appearances for the club, which won the FA Cup in 2021 by defeating Chelsea.
He made his Saint-Etienne debut at age 18 and has since become one of Europe’s most highly regarded young defenders.
Wesley is a tremendously talented defender who has already demonstrated his quality in the Premier League at a young age, according to Todd Boehly, chairman of Chelsea.
“We are ecstatic that we were able to bring one of Europe’s most intriguing talents to Chelsea and further improve that part of our squad for the upcoming season and beyond.”
Thomas Tuchel has already signed Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli and Marc Cucurella from Brighton, but Chelsea have been fragile at the defense in the early weeks of the season.
Tuesday’s 2-1 loss against Southampton highlighted Chelsea’s troubles, and their spending may not be over yet.
Tuchel’s squad has also acquired Raheem Sterling from Manchester City, while they continue to be connected with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Barcelona.