Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana could miss the rest of the season with head coach Enzo Maresca confirming the hamstring injury he sustained in December is worse than previously feared.
The 24-year-old has not played since being substituted in the second half of last month’s 3-0 win over Aston Villa.
Maresca was unable to say whether the tear to his hamstring will require surgery but nevertheless it is a damaging blow to a player that missed the entirety of last season with an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
‘Unfortunately he could be out for the season,’ said the head coach. ‘We don’t know exactly for the entire season but for sure he could be out for part of it.’
Chelsea are also likely to be without Benoit Badiashile for Saturday’s game against Crystal Palace and are currently heavily reliant on Levi Colwill.
Whether the Blues are able to make a foray into the January transfer market remains to be seen but one possible solution to their defensive injury crisis is not open to them.
Trevoh Chalobah has been in impressive form for Palace so far this season following his loan move to Palace in the summer.
The 25-year-old has made 14 appearances in all competitions and formed an impressive partnership with another ex-Chelsea star Marc Guehi but there will be no immediate return to Stamford Bridge because the Blues did not insert a recall clause in the defender’s contrat.
Palace manager Oliver Glasner, meanwhile, has suggested he would like to permanently sign Chalobah.
Speaking in his press conference ahead of Palace’s match with Chelsea on Saturday – a game Chalobah is ineligible to play in – Glasner was asked about this possibility.
Though he did not want to fuel speculation, the Austrian could not hide his delight with the loanee’s impact, saying: ‘A deal happens if three parties are happy with it: the two clubs and the player.
‘If all parties want to have a deal, and agree, it will happen. He’s doing really well for us and we were very consistent in our defensive line.
‘Trevoh has now scored three goals but we always say that is extra for a defender. He has three, Lacroix has one, Guehi has two.
‘Add Daniel Munoz and we have eight from our back-five. This is 40 per cent of the goals we scored and it’s very important that we have defenders who can score goals.’
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