Noni Madueke, Wesley Fofana and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall latest news and return dates - The Blues were handed a welcome double boost for their FA Cup win at the weekend

Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Maresca was naturally quizzed on the situation, the Italian revealing that he was told that Fofana would be absent for between 12 and 16 weeks. He told reporters: "We speak the same language in terms of we communicate between each other in English and in French, so it has been quite clear.

Another serious injury suffered by Wesley Fofana (24) last month could keep him away from the pitch for a long time.In December, the French defender incurred a muscle injury during the Blues’ 3-0

The defender was ruled out for the season by Maresca due to injury, only for the player to take to social media to deny the claims. Maresca said on Friday ahead of their FA Cup third round tie with Morecambe: "We speak the same language in terms of we communicate between each other in English and in French, so it has been quite clear.

Bizarrely, Fofana has taken to Instagram to refute his manager’s words, stating: "It’s not true!" the 24-year-old wrote in an apparent message to a fan account. "I’m not out for the rest of the season, I don’t know why he (Maresca) said that. I will be back in 4-6 weeks."

Fofana’s hamstring injury, sustained in early December, disrupted his promising partnership with Levi Colwill at the heart of Chelsea’s defence. Now, with the January transfer window approaching, Chelsea must act swiftly to fill the void left by Fofana’s absence.

A Premier League proven, young centre-back who has been linked with Chelsea for a number of years and started his career with the Blues, Guehi seems a very possible replacement. The problem would be his price tag and the likelihood of Crystal Palace offloading one of their best players in January.

Enzo Maresca has revealed that Cole Palmer is a Chelsea injury doubt to feature in Premier League action against Wolves on Monday evening.

THE January transfer window is rolling on at speed – and some huge moves are still in the pipeline. Real Madrid are reportedly eyeing up a summer move for Arsenal defender William Saliba.

Chelsea are reportedly still in talks to sign a new centre back currently playing in the Premier League, despite recalling Trevoh Chalobah this month.

Napoli and head coach Antonio Conte are interested in Rashford according to The Sun, with Osimhen possibly heading in the opposite direction in a move that would necessitate a January return from loan at Galatasaray. Arsenal want to push ahead with a January deal for Matheus Cunha, reports claim.

European Giants Have Entered the Race to Sign Chelsea Defender This Month - Report by Ahmed Khan on Jan 16, 2025 for EPLindex.com