Brendan Rodgers took Chelsea transfer target Wesley Fofana out of the starting line-up to face Southampton because he was “not in the right frame of mind”.
The young Frenchman has been the subject of considerable interest from Stamford Bridge over the last few weeks, with the Blues still keen to add more defensive recruits to their summer incoming list.
Chelsea have already lodged two big-money bids for his services, both of which Leicester have turned down as they hold out for a higher sum. Reports indicated on Friday that Fofana would be left out of the side to take on the Saints in the Premier League.
Ahead of kick-off, the defender’s name was indeed a notable absence from the team sheet, with Rodgers confirming that Fofana not being totally focused on the game was a reason for him being left out.
Asked why the player was omitted, the Northern Irishman told NBC Sports Soccer : “One, a change in system and two, I mentioned in the week about coming into a Premier League game and maybe one or two players not being in the right frame of mind, you can’t carry them and certainly we can’t. So that’s the reason for the change.”
Intriguingly, Fofana was actually in attendance at the King Power Stadium on Saturday for the showdown with the Saints. The decision appeared to ruffle the feathers of Foxes icon Gary Lineker, who gave his response to Fofana being left on the sidelines. Taking to Twitter in response to the Leicester team, he simply wrote: “FFS.”
Did Brendan Rodgers make the right decision to leave Wesley Fofana out? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
It remains to be seen if Fofana is still a Leicester player by the time the transfer window shuts on 1 September. It was suggested that he had lodged a request to leave the club despite having penned a new five-year contract earlier this year.
Speaking ahead of the clash with Southampton, Rodgers refuted that claim. He said: “He [Fofana] hasn’t [asked to leave]. He’s a great kid. He’s loved by his team-mates. He’s a great personality. He’s still developing. He’s nowhere near the finished article.
“Currently, at this moment, there’s nothing new. We’ve spoken numbers of times about the whole situation and, of course, that’s a private conversation. Our communication is normal and we just continue to prepare for the games.
“I don’t think so far ahead. The idea is he’s still very much a Leicester City player. I’ve said a number of times here he’s not for sale. The club have made that clear and, unless anything changes on that, I would expect him to be here.”
Fofana has made a total of 52 appearances for Leicester since joining from French outfit Saint-Etienne. He impressed greatly in his debut season in the East Midlands but missed large swathes of last term after breaking his leg in pre-season.
