WOLVERHAMPTON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 25: Gary O'Neil, Head coach of Wolverhampton Wanderers speaks with the media following a Wolverhampton Wanderers Training Session at The Sir Jack Hayward Training Ground on August 25, 2023 in Wolverhampton, England. (Photo by Jack Thomas - WWFC/Wolves via Getty Images)
€20m striker says he will be Joining Wolves for preseason ahead of his first EPL Debut
Capital Football snagged David Fofana for an exclusive chat after Burnley’s relegation yesterday at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The Chelsea loanee wasn’t able to help keep the Clarets up, but he did pretty well in 6 months there, and now expects to come back to Chelsea for preseason, with an uncertain future ahead.
“I haven’t thought about [returning to Chelsea] yet. I think I’ll go back and why not do the pre-season with Chelsea? [In January], I wanted to stay but some things happened… but for sure I have nothing to envy Nicolas Jackson, who is [also] my friend.”
In January it did indeed seem like he would be staying with Broja on the way out – but instead both ended up loaned out. It was a risk which paid off, as Nicolas Jackson was able to play the rest of the campaign without injury or suspension. But come the summer we will have to start making serious decisions about the Ivorian’s future.
We bought him for €12m and his value is now just €10m according to Transfermarkt, despite his Premier League goals.
After a shocking first half of the season at Union Berlin where he barely played, Fofana made a solid impression in his early games at Burnley, helping spark their efforts to battle the drop which ultimately fizzled out in the last month.
He surely showed enough in those games to earn himself another useful Premier League loan next season. His dream of coming back to Chelsea to support Jackson are hardly unrealistic either, although it will all depend on how things go in the market this summer.
It’s by no means impossible that the sporting directors think Fofana is ready to be second choice behind Jackson next year, allowing them to focus their spending on other areas of need and clearing the way for Broja’s sale.
After starting the season on loan at Hull City from Premier League side Burnley, the midfielder made the move south to join Liam Manning at Ashton Gate at the start of the year, and seemed to effortlessly fit into the Robins’ system.
Two goals in ten league games helped steer the West Country side into the top half of the table by the end of the campaign, and leave Manning wanting to keep the playmaker past the end of his temporary spell at the club.
That may prove easier said than done though, with his parent club unlikely to be bartering for any deals for the former MK Dons man anytime soon.
