Chelsea's new star Wesley Fofana has aired his frustration at Brendan Rodgers for his antics prior to his £75m move from Leicester on Wednesday, mirroring the exact same feelings that Moussa Dembele had when the Northern Irishman moved from Celtic to the Foxes back in 2019.
Fofana had excelled at the King Power Stadium following his £27m move from Saint Etienne in 2020, drawing plaudits from fans across the country for his cultured, composed performances at such a young age in what is often billed as the world's toughest league.. Despite breaking his leg last July, he came back midway through the season and continued where he left off to reignite interest from other clubs across the continent, with Chelsea fending off interest from Manchester United and Barcelona amongst others to secure his signature.
However, the move has not been straight forward; after signalling his intentions to leave the Midlands outfit, Fofana was forced to train with the under-23 squad whilst a decision on his future was made, and with Chelsea finally agreeing terms at the start of the week, his move to Stamford Bridge has been expedited before the deadline.
Fofana, visibly frustrated, posted a statement upon his move which clearly criticised Rodgers for 'choosing to expose' him over his desire to leave the 2021 FA Cup winners. And it isn't the first time that the former Celtic boss has been judged by former players for the same reasons - with Dembele doing the same just three years ago.
"It's time to say goodbye. During these two seasons here, I have probably experienced the most intense moments of my young football career. I have grown as a player but also as a man," Fofana said in a statement.
He added: "Thank you to you, Foxes fan(s), for your kindness and your constant support, even in the moments you were led to believe I didn’t respect the club. I will never forget how we vibrated, exulted or cried, together…I will never forget you. I chose not to communicate during this transfer window despite all the criticism and all the often false and misleading comments, even when they were coming from the club. I understood and I learned.
"I didn't want to damage the image of the institution and I chose to take it rather than answer. I thank Top (chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha) for his understanding, thanks to the managers, to the coach who has always appreciated me, even if he chose to expose me a lot lately...I got it coach. Thank you to all the people who work here everyday, you are the soul of this club! Finally, thanks to my teammates, my brothers, the Foxes soldiers. We'll meet again, on a football field or somewhere else."
Dembele posted a similar message to his social media when Rodgers left Celtic Park for a third stint in the Premier League.
"Interesting", "And if you don't know now you know I told you" and "A man without his word is nothing. A real man keeps his word" were just a select bunch of phrases Dembele used in a series of rants back in February 2019 following Rodgers' comments once Dembele departed for France.
It is yet to be seen who Leicester will aim to replace the Frenchman with, although a kitty of £75m will surely help them bring in other targets ahead of Thursday's late deadline.
