Chelsea have made their first buy of the January transfer window as they seek goals to boost the Premier league chase. David Datro Fofana joins the Blues after Chelsea reached a pre-agreement with Molde.
It is a public secret that Chelsea is struggling for goals, as all their strikers have not found their range. The Blues have plenty of attacking talent, but scoring goals have been a luxury for the Stamford Bridge side. Chelsea are currently languishing outside the top four. It is a headache for Graham Potter, who is looking for solutions.
The arrival of Raheem Sterling, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and the injured Armando Broja has not improved the situation. Chelsea is chasing a top-four finish but is currently behind Liverpool, Manchester United and Brighton & Hove Albion. With the season ticking by fast, Graham Potter has delved into the transfer market to find solutions.
With Armando Broja out for a lengthy spell, Potter knows he needs another striker to deepen his squad depth. It is not like Broja was delivering massively for the club, but his injury has allowed the club to quickly bring in a striker that could challenge for a place in the team now and in the future.
Chelsea sign Fofana as reinforcement
The Ivorian striker has been on their radar for some time as Chelsea looked to improve their attacking options.
Molde have had several strikers cut their teeth with them and gone on to make a name for themselves. A solid example is Manchester City star, Erling Haaland. The Norwegian striker burst onto the scene after featuring for the Norwegian top-flight champions. The performance of the former Borussia Dortmund striker has given Chelsea the impetus to take a punt on Fofana.
Sportsmail reports that Chelsea will pay around £8 million for the Ivorian striker. The Blues also stated on their website on Wednesday a pre-agreement has been reached with Molde FK for the transfer of David Datro Fofana.
A bright future for Fofana?
At just 20, Fofana is already showing signs of great things to come. The Ivorian striker has already drawn comparisons to Chelsea legend Didier Drogba. Despite his young age, Fofana has featured for Ivory Coast. He made his international debut for the West African nation in a friendly victory over Burundi. He will join the Blues on January 1, 2023.
Fofana has been in sublime form for Molde FK. 21 of his 24 goals came last season from 37 appearances in all competitions. The youngster has shown he can link play well, as shown in the seven assists since the start of the 2022 Norwegian club football season.
The signing of Fofana indicates Graham Potter is committed to signing young, upcoming stars. Some of the youngsters he has signed include Carney Chukwuemeka from Aston Villa, Cesare Casadei from Inter Milan, Gabriel Slonina from Chicago Fire and Omari Hutchinson from Arsenal.
Fofana should bring the goals that are lacking with the Blues. He is only the second offensive signing Potter has made this campaign, with RB Leipzig’s Christopher Nkunku joining up with the Blues at the end of the season.
