Forgotten Chelsea man set to become Enzo Maresca’s wildcard option for next season
While some teams have remained stagnant, Chelsea has been rather busy in the transfer market thus far this summer. Along with Tosin Adarabioyo, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Omari Kellyman, Marc Guiu, and Estevao Willian, they have recently added Renato Veiga, who joined from Basel on a seven-year contract, as the newest member.
The Blues will probably be busy throughout the remaining transfer window, and some fans would prefer that the next player to arrive is a striker. Despite Cole Palmer’s contribution of 25 goals from his attacking role in the previous season following his summer transfer from Manchester City, Chelsea still lacks the prolific striker needed to take them to the next level.
Nicolas Jackson fared well in his debut year at Stamford Bridge by netting 17 goals in all competitions and the hope is that he can improve on that tally in 2024/25. Christopher Nkunku will also be a further striker available to new boss Enzo Maresca after the Frenchman endured a torrid time of it through injury last season.
Romelu Lukaku and Armando Broja are other strikers on Chelsea’s books but the former looks a certainty to head elsewhere and the same could also happen to the latter. There is also David Datro Fofana to consider as well when it comes to striker department.
Perhaps a bit of a forgotten man for many after his time with Union Berlin and Burnley last campaign, the west London club also have a call to make over the youngster before the transfer window closes for business at 11pm on Friday, August 30. The Ivorian last week returned to the club’s Cobham base for pre-season training with the rest of the first-team players and he will be intent on forcing his way into Maresca’s plans for the campaign ahead.
The 2023/24 term was certainly a mixed one for the 21-year-old as he scored two goals in 17 appearances for German side Union Berlin in the first part of the season before finishing the year on loan at Burnley. The Clarets may have succumbed to an immediate return to the Championship but the Chelsea player did catch the eye with four goals in his short time in Lancashire, including a stunning strike away at West Ham in March.
His time at Burnley will have only helped David Datro Fofana in regards to Premier League experience, which in turn may play into Chelsea’s hands going forward. The ex-Molde player isn’t at the stage in his development just yet where he can lead the line week in, week out for Chelsea but he could potentially still have a role to play for the west London club and become a wildcard option for Maresca.
After all, there could be an opportunity there for Fofana to add to his four Chelsea appearances following the team’s qualification for the Europa Conference League. A competition where Maresca could ring the changes, the frontman could quite easily get regular minutes in the tank in Europe, thus boosting his Premier League chances in the process.
If that isn’t to be the case, another season out on loan could be the outcome for the striker. That may in fact be more beneficial to him right now at this stage in his development rather than either getting minutes here or there for Chelsea or perhaps not even featuring at all.
Chelsea do have a busy pre-season on the calendar and the opportunity could be there for Fofana to get some pitch time as they head off to the United States. Maybe a player on the periphery as things stand, the January 2023 addition will be doing all he can this summer to really kickstart his Blues career and ensure he is no longer Chelsea’s forgotten man.