Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana has admitted that he has not spoken to Arsenal star William Saliba for a long time. The two defenders were teammates at AS Saint-Étienne before they left for the Premier League.
Speaking to Stadium Astro, Fofana said he expected Saliba to reach the levels he is at, having impressed since he was a teenager. The Chelsea star added that he sees the Arsenal counterpart as one of the best defenders in the world and said:
"I expect this level because I know him from being young and he's very good player. He's a top defender, maybe one of the best in the world. And yeah, we talk because we are friends of course he plays for Arsenal. So now we will be enemies but we are friends and we talk sometimes but during this week we don't talk. We don't talk."
In an interview with Premier League Productions, Fofana added that he was looking forward to the difficult derby between the two London clubs on Sunday, November 30. He believes their position on the table does not matter when they face off on the pitch and said:
"It is a London derby. It's always a difficult game, and everyone waits for it, especially with Arsenal on top and us second. But we will just focus on the game. It is important for the team and for the fans, and we want to win. We don't care who is first or second."
The Blues host the Gunners at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, sitting six points behind Mikel Arteta's side ahead of kick-off.
Chelsea not thinking of Premier League title race ahead of Arsenal clash
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has said that his side are not thinking about the Premier League title race. He claimed that they need to be in a similar position in March and April before they worry about winning the league and said in his press conference (via The Sportzine):
"We will see where we are by March and April. Then we will see. I think these players in 18 months together showed they can beat teams. PSG in the Club World Cup final, this season Liverpool and Barcelona, we compete always and it's important to show we can compete against any team. I think we are in the right direction."
Chelsea have not beaten Arsenal in the Premier League since 2018, when Marcos Alonso scored a late winner.