Wesley Fofana believes Cole Palmer is on par with Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele and believes the Chelsea sensation could be unleashed with his first goal in almost three months in the 2-0 win over Everton. Palmer led the Blues to their first win in December, with the 23-year-old breaking the deadlock with a composed finish.
The England star took the lead in the 21st minute by slipping the ball past Three Lions colleague Jordan Pickford, before Maro Gusto extended the home side’s advantage just before the interval. It was Palmer’s first goal for Chelsea since September 17, when he was sidelined for much of that period with a groin problem.
Fofana, who played the full 90 minutes for the Blues on Saturday, was quick to praise Palmer’s importance and even drew comparisons between the Chelsea talent and France team-mates Mbappé and Dembele.
“He’s a star and the best player on the team,” Fofana said. “When he gets on the pitch, he’s a different player. Everyone was watching tonight, he only played 50 minutes, but the whole stadium and all the fans know he’s a very important part of the team.”
“We are very happy to have him back and hope he can stay healthy and help the team.
“He’s good friends with players like Mbappe and Dembele. Very, very good friends. I play with very good players in the national team and play against very good players. He’s at the top. He’s on another planet. We’re very happy to have him with us.”
Fofana impressed in Chelsea’s clean sheet win against Everton, with the 24-year-old center back contributing to another clean sheet performance.
The former Leicester star has kept five clean sheets in his last seven games in all competitions.
Fofana has formed an effective defensive partnership with Trevor Chalobá, and currently appears to be Enzo Maresca’s preferred centre-back pairing.
Despite this, the Chelsea manager regularly rotates his squad from match to match to manage a demanding fixture list, which is perfectly suited given Fofana’s injury-plagued history.
“For me, I talk to my manager a lot,” Fofana revealed. “Right now the program is good and we only play one game a week.
“The atmosphere in the team is good. The manager picks the team and the players on the bench are together so we can stay focused. The players coming in and the players coming out, we stick together and work hard. It’s the manager’s decision. We just follow it and try to win the game.”
