Chelsea star with just 20 appearances for club unlikely to return to action this season: Reports

Reports suggest that Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana is likely to remain sidelined due to injury for the rest of the season. This comes from journalist Simon Phillips, who has revealed that there's a cloud of uncertainty hanging over Fofana's potential return.

The 22-year-old underwent surgery for a torn anterior cruciate ligament in the summer, and insiders are reportedly "fearful" that he won't make a comeback this term. This serves as yet another hurdle for Fofana, who has been struggling with injuries ever since his high-profile £75 million transfer from Leicester City in 2022.

Last season, the French defender managed to clock in just 15 appearances for the Blues in the Premier League. In total, he has played just 20 games for the club. Fortunately, the likes of Axel Disasi and Malo Gusto are available to fill the void. However, the Blues will certainly miss his quality.

Speaking on MOTD (via Metro), Gary Lineker revealed just how impressive Fofana was:

“I said to some friends of mine who support Chelsea, you don’t know how good this kid is yet. He’s been injured the whole time at Chelsea basically. But he’s very special.”

The defender will be hoping he can get his professional career back on track next season.

---

Chelsea's Cole Palmer returns early from international duty due to minor injury

The injury woes continue for the Blues. This time it's their young sensation Cole Palmer, who suffered a dead leg injury during England's under-21 match against Serbia.

While the injury doesn't sound serious, it's enough to keep Palmer sidelined, at least temporarily. The 9-1 thrashing of Serbia by England's under-21 squad on Thursday was marred for the Stamford Bridge faithful by the news of Palmer's injury.

Journalist Jordan Davies revealed that England U21s manager Lee Carsley decided to send Palmer back to Stamford Bridge (via Tribal Football):

"Lee Carsley reveals Cole Palmer will not travel with the England U21s to Slovakia to face Ukraine tomorrow night. Has returned to Chelsea after picking up a dead leg in his right quad during the 9-1 victory over Serbia on Thursday. Decided not to risk him."

Chelsea have won just three times in the Premier League this season and find themselves outside the top 10. They take on Arsenal in their next league game on Saturday, October 21.