'Affected me' - Defender explains why he was in tears after Chelsea's recent cup defeat | OneFootball

Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana has explained why he shed a tear after the recent Carabao Cup semi-final defeat to Arsenal.

Back in the summer of 2022, Chelsea spent a reported £70m initial fee to sign Fofana from Leicester City.

It was close to breaking the world record fee for a defender, which spoke volumes about how highly Chelsea rated him.

Obviously, Fofana's career at Chelsea has not turned out to be as hoped.

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The 25-year-old struggled with injuries throughout his time at Chelsea, including a cruciate ligament tear in 2023/24 and a bad hamstring injury last season.

The situation has improved significantly this season, with Chelsea cautiously managing his minutes on the pitch.

Fofana rarely starts in back-to-back games, and this season, he has only had to miss games due to illness and unfortunate concussion symptoms.

He made headlines earlier this month after being seen crying following Chelsea's Carabao Cup semi-final second-leg defeat to Arsenal.

Based on his recent interview, it was clear that Fofana felt like he was so close to winning his "first" trophy with Chelsea.

"I was very emotional. I haven't won a title with Chelsea," the centre-back admitted to French outlet Telefoot.

"My teammates have won trophies, but I wasn't there.

"It affected me because I want to win a trophy this year."

Chelsea ended last season with the UEFA Conference League before winning the Club World Cup in the summer.

Fofana, however, was not involved in the two competitions.

He was left out of the Conference League squad, likely due to workload management, and later missed the Club World Cup since he was still rehabilitating after his hamstring surgery.

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The France international described his previous seasons at Chelsea as "blank seasons".

"Seasons when I thought it was the right season, that I was back... but everything fell apart,' he explained.

"When you come back, you doubt everything, you tell yourself that you're not the same player anymore, that you've lost everything."

It also took Fofana some time to cope with the scrutiny that came with his transfer fee.

"Every mistake, the fans remind you of the price tag, but that's part of the game," he said.

"I was injured, I wanted to do too much, justify the price, but now I've accepted it."