"I hope to be like the legends: [Marcel} Desailly, [Claude] Makelele. I hope in 20 years maybe I have my banner [at Stamford Bridge]." Wesley Fofana was not hiding his steep ambitions, he stood in front of The Shed, gazing infectiously around his new home.
Although, at only 21, the hype he is expected to fulfil from a £69m investment might feel daunting, there has quickly grown a sense of inevitability about Fofana's pathway from the early moments at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard after his breakthrough from Saint-Etienne's academy.
"Fofana was obviously outstanding from the moment he stepped into the Saint-Etienne first team." Robin Bairner, French football expert and sports writer for Football Transfers and Goal tells football.london.
READ MORE: Wesley Fofana first words as defender completes 'dream' transfer to Chelsea from Leicester City
"Arguably, he was more impressive than [William] Saliba, although there was more hype about Saliba, who himself followed quickly on the heels of Kurt Zouma."
There is an irony that Fofana makes this move now to Chelsea, given he and Saliba crossed paths at the Ligue 1 club, both earmarked for a fruitful career. Saliba has his own catchy tune at The Emirates with Arsenal, whilst Fofana joins a London rival across the Thames.
"Lots of similarities to Saliba and Fofana in terms of their attitude." Bairner details. "Neither seemed to be troubled by the step up to first-team football. Fofana, meanwhile, has always been regarded as mature by his coaches.
"After quickly establishing himself in the Saint-Etienne first team, yes, it was inevitable that a big club would come, particularly given the reputation Sainte had built for bringing through defenders, with Saliba and Zouma having come through in the handful of years before him."
Fofana showed little ambition to stick around when Leicester came calling in the summer of 2020, giving the youngster a Premier League opportunity.
Fofana had only gained 20 Ligue 1 appearances when the Foxes purchased him for a reported £30m fee, but as he had proven in France, Fofana would soon show little fear at the challenge. Quickly becoming a regular in Brendan Rodgers' Champions League-chasing backline.
"Historically, we have recruited excellently, particularly from France, look at Mahrez and Kante. And so this transfer seemed perfect for the club." Sam Martin, presenter of the Foxes Fancast, tells Football.london when asked to recall the initial reaction to Fofana's arrival.
"It is important to remember that this was at a time in which [Caglar] Soyuncu was pivotal in the way we set up, and so Wesley was coming into an established set-up with the view of also giving us the option of turning into a back three.
"In the two years since, the career trajectories of both players couldn't have been more different. He has been truly superb for us, even with the horrific injury he suffered at the start of last season. From the moment he stepped foot on the pitch in a Leicester shirt, I think it was clear that he was the real deal. He oozes class and I, amongst many other Leicester fans, quickly labelled him as one who was destined for the top."
Chelsea found out first-hand how difficult it was to get past the young prodigy, with Fofana being on the winning side for Leicester twice against the Blues on equally painful days in the opening five months of 2021.
Keeping a clean sheet in the 2-0 win over Chelsea in January that sealed Frank Lampard's fate, before his successor Thomas Tuchel would see his reinvigorated squad lose the FA Cup final four months later at Wembley. Fofana put in an exemplary display on a highly pressurised stage.
Chat of Chelsea's interest in Fofana did not begin after their failure to land Jules Kounde back in July. Even before his devastating leg break in a pre-season friendly last year, there were already whispers of the club's admiration for the fastly developing talent.
"Physically, he is excellent, he's quick and gets around the pitch well, superb in the air and loves a tackle," Martin says. "I can't overly recall a time when he was "bullied" by a forward, which is a testament to his being a player. Perhaps more impressive though, given his age, is just how much composure he possesses."
Tuchel has needed a dynamic and fresh option on the right side of his defence, particularly looking at the regression of a stalwart like Cesar Azpilicueta, whose roundly admired durability no longer looks capable of providing the rounded defensive output Chelsea requires.
Factoring in the positioning of Reece James, whose placement in a back-three has been of frustration given his creative threat when deployed as a wingback. The England international was assisting off the pitch, too, as Fofana revealed during his first interview as a Chelsea player his new teammate messaged him last month.
"Reece James messaged me on Instagram one month ago. 'You come and play with me at right-back?' I like this, it's good for my confidence. He's my guy now."
Given the struggles Chelsea faced as Southampton overwhelmed the Blues on Tuesday evening, there will be hope Fofana's skillset can offer a comforting balance between defensive security and attacking licence for James to cause havoc on opposing defences.
He adds to a summer of defensive reinforcement following the additions of Kalidou Koulibaly and Marc Cucurella, with Thiago Silva, Azpilicueta and Trevoh Chalobah rounding out the area.
"He glides around the pitch like a figure skater, oozing class with every touch he takes. He reminds me of Thiago Silva in that regard, just makes the game look effortless, as though he's playing on a Sunday morning down the park." Martin says.
"The most exciting part is I can only see him getting better. With the right role models, the sky is genuinely the limit. I truly believe he will become one of the best centre-backs in the world."
Fofana has hidden little about that ambition in his words and actions so far, even with a serious injury halting his ascent, very few people who have closely watched the defender disagree with the prediction he will go onto even greater heights in the coming years.
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