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His market value drops by more than half in a year after Chelsea’s £70 million transfer

Since joining Chelsea, the value of Wesley Fofana—a record-breaking £70 million defensive signing—has dropped by more than half.

The Frenchman, who was just 21 years old when he moved from Leicester to Stamford Bridge two years ago, has the potential to be Chelsea’s starting center back for many seasons.

But even after moving to west London, he was still dealing with the same injury issues that had dogged him at the King Power. His rookie season was cut short by a serious knee injury.

To make matters worse, Fofana tore his anterior cruciate ligament last season, which kept him out of action all year. Due to his injury history and lack of playing time, his value has dropped significantly.After a massive drop from the enormous sum that convinced the Foxes to sell, Fofana is now only worth £21.5 million, according to Transfermarkt.

After joining for Chelsea, Fofana’s value plummeted from £55 million to £45 million, £35 million to £27.5 million, and is now hovering around £20 million—or £10 million less than what Leicester paid French club Saint-Etienne in 2020—due to his 77 missed games.

After the Frenchman tore his ACL last season, now-fired coach Mauricio Pochettino was heartbroken to see him go. This is terrible news, the Argentine exclaimed. “Our hearts are heavy. Assisting him is our sole option. We hope he’ll be able to return to the club this season as soon as possible and send our best wishes his way.

New manager Enzo Maresca, who accompanied the Frenchman on the club’s preseason tour of the US, has started Fofana, who did not play again under Pochettino.In the 4-1 loss to Scottish champions Celtic in Indiana, the 23-year-old and another injury-plagued signing, Romeo Lavia, started for the Blues.

“Right now, it’s crucial for them to get some playing time and not miss any practice,” Maresca said following Fofana and Lavia’s first preseason appearances, while Lavia was out with an injury.