Wesley Fofana was a somewhat surprise absence from Chelsea’s matchday squad against Nottingham Forest.
On Saturday afternoon, the Blues play away at Forest in the first Premier League match after the international break.
Troy Deeney suggests Chelsea only turn up against the elite teams following their recent win against Liverpool. However, they’ll be expected to go to the City Ground and pick up three points against a struggling Forest side.
Chelsea confirmed via X their starting line-up to face Forest in Saturday’s 12:30pm kick-off.
There are three changes to the side that beat Liverpool, as Benoit Badiashile, Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo make way. They have been replaced by Trevoh Chalobah, Romeo Lavia and Andrey Santos in the XI.
Reece James and Wesley Fofana during a Chelsea training session at Cobham.
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Wesley Fofana absent from Chelsea squad vs Nottingham Forest
As you can see above, Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana, 24, is missing from the squad against Forest.
Journalist Nathan Gissing has reported via X that the French central defender has been left out by head coach Enzo Maresca due to selection rather than any injury problems.
It feels quite significant that Fofana, who cost Chelsea £70m (BBC) a few years ago, doesn’t feature in a matchday squad when he’s available. Even though injuries have wrecked his Blues career, he’s still a high-profile centre-half with quality.
Josh Acheampong and Trevoh Chalobah are the starting centre-back partnership this weekend, while Tosin Adarabioyo and Jorrel Hato are alternative defensive options on the bench.
Fofana missed games with a concussion recently before the international break, but we would have expected him to have been involved this weekend.
Wesley Fofana playing for Chelsea against Lincoln City in the Carabao Cup.
Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images
Enzo Maresca explained why Estevao Willian only made the bench
When Chelsea’s XI was announced against Forest, plenty of supporters were frustrated to see Estevao Willian named as a substitute. After his winning goal against Liverpool, many expected to see the 18-year-old winger rewarded with a start.
In a pre-match interview, Maresca justified his decision on Estevao by mentioning his recent trip with Brazil during the international break.
The Chelsea boss said, as quoted by BBC Sport: “He (Estevao) has already started games for us. He came back from a long trip from Brazil so we need to manage it. We have six or seven games until the next break. For sure he is going to play but he already showed he can play from the start.”
Estevao, who scored twice for Brazil, could still be a dangerous weapon off the bench.