Chelsea sign defender Fofana from Leicester
Tuchel fumes after defeat at Southampton
London – Chelsea have completed the transfer of defender Wesley Fofana from Leicester City, both Premier League sides said, with the Frenchman signing a seven-year contract with the west London club.
Financial details were not disclosed but British media reports said the deal was worth 70-million pounds.
"Wesley is a hugely promising defender who has already proven his quality in the Premier League at a young age," Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly said.
"We are delighted we were able to bring one of Europe's most exciting talents to Chelsea and further strengthen that area of our squad, both for this season and many more to come."
The 21-year-old had made the switch to the Premier League in October 2020, joining from Ligue 1 side St Etienne for a reported fee of up to 36.5-million pounds.
During his two seasons at Leicester, he made 52 appearances in all competitions, including 37 in the league and 11 across two European campaigns.
In his debut 2020-21 season, he was named as the club's Young Player of the Year after helping Leicester win their first FA Cup, performing well in the final against Chelsea.
"The two last days have been really big days for me and I'm very happy," Fofana told the club's website. "I trained this morning with the team and it's a dream for me. I'm very excited to start playing games for the fans and the club.
"I'm here to win trophies – the Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup (League Cup), everything... The club is built to win trophies, so I'm here to continue that."
Meanwhile, Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel pulled no punches after his side's 2-1 defeat at Southampton in the Premier League on Tuesday, accusing his side of not being tough enough.
Raheem Sterling's third goal in two games gave Chelsea an early lead at St Mary's but goals by Romeo Lavia and Adam Armstrong turned it around before halftime.
What will have worried Tuchel was the way his side lost control of the game despite taking the lead. “Obviously, we're not tough enough at the moment to win these matches away,” Tuchel told reporters.
“One set-piece again. One sloppy defending again. Then we are off balance. We were not tough enough as a team to react or push it over the line for us.”