MY ACCOUNT
Chelsea have made a surprise purchase ahead of the January window opening, in the shape of David Datro Fofana.
At a time when the club are being linked with signing World Cup stars for huge fees, the Blues have quietly picked up a 20-year-old striker from Norway’s top flight.
Fofana has just helped Molde win the Eliteserien title and his performances tempted the West Londoners to bring the young talent to Stamford Bridge.
With the Ivory Coast international set to arrive in January, we look at the rapid progress that has been made in his brief career and what Chelsea fans can expect from Fofana.
Breakthrough season
Fofana began his career with the Ivorian club AFAD, where he quickly drew attention from European scouts.
It was the Norwegian outfit Molde that signed the forward in February 2021 on a free transfer.
That has proved to be an astute bit of business, but his first season at the club was not a success, failing to net in his first 21 appearances.
It was not until Molde’s starting striker Ohi Omoijuanfo exited that Fofana became a first-choice pick.
In the 2022 season, he scored 15 goals in 24 league games as Molde romped to the title. Again the scouts were circling, but this time they came from clubs in bigger leagues.
Norwegian pathway
It is relatively rare to see a player leave the Eliteserien and move straight to one of the biggest European leagues, let alone at one of the top clubs within that competition.
Martin Odegaard did just that when he moved to Real Madrid, but his time at the Bernabeu was frustrating and featured a number of loans, before he eventually settled at Arsenal.
More recently, Jens Petter Hauge signed for AC Milan in 2020, only to be sold on to Eintracht Frankfurt. He is now on loan at Gent.
A move to Belgium, or one of the other mid-ranking European leagues is a more typical pathway for the brightest Eliteserien talents.
Even Erling Haaland moved to FC Salzburg from Molde, before his eventual transfers to first Borussia Dortmund and then Manchester City.
Stamford Bridge chiefs clearly believe Fofana to be an exceptional case.
Brighton connection
One of the main reasons that Chelsea have moved for Fofana is the knee injury suffered by Armando Broja, during a recent friendly match against Aston Villa.
In terms of numbers at least, Fofana replaces Broja in the squad. Christopher Nkunku looks likely to join the club next summer, as boss Graham Potter looks to bolster a forward line that has largely failed to deliver this season.
Yet if things had turned out differently, Fofana could have easily been signing for Brighton rather than Chelsea. The Seagulls, along with Leicester, had been following the player’s progress.
When Potter moved from Brighton, he took Kyle Macaulay with him as head of scouting. Paul Winstanley soon followed from the South Coast outfit as director of global talent and transfers.
The arrivals of staff that had been monitoring Fofana no doubt played a huge part in Chelsea signing a player that would not normally be on their radar.
While the Premier League giants are likely to still be competing for top names, we can perhaps expect to see more of these type of deals.
Standout qualities
With Fofana coming from Molde, there have been lazy comparisons to Haaland. Any striker from the Ivory Coast signing for Chelsea will also inevitably be compared with club legend Didier Drogba.
Fofana is nothing like either of those players and though he scored a decent amount of goals last season, that is not why Premier League sides were interested in him.
Indeed, his finishing is one of the aspects of his game that will need to improve. So too will his awareness and passing, as he takes a vast step up in quality.
The attributes that stand out for Fofana are his dribbling prowess and ball retention. This is a player with the rare ability to make something out of nothing. While his deficiencies can be worked upon, his standout qualities are harder to be taught.
With his skillset, Fofana might ultimately end up as a wide forward rather than a striker. His future will almost certainly involve a loan move, but with Chelsea’s current problems in attack, the youngster may well get an early chance to make an impression.
Potter’s side face Nottingham Forest on New Year’s Day before back-to-back fixtures against Manchester City in the league and FA Cup.
Should they continue to challenge on two domestic fronts, along with their Champions League campaign, look out for Fofana making a cameo role in the weeks ahead.
