Enzo Maresca has praised defender Wesley Fofana after Chelsea win 3-0 against West Ham in the Premier League on Saturday.
The Blues secured an impressive victory thanks to a Nicolas Jackson double and a Cole Palmer goal, taking advantage of a poor Hammers defence. The result marked another Premier League victory for new manager Maresca, who has lost just one league game so far this season, against Manchester City.
It was centre-back Fofana who the boss was quick to praise after the game. The French star has started all five of Chelsea’s league games this season after missing much of the Blues’ campaign last term.
“Wes is a player I like a lot, I’m in love with Wes,” Maresca told reporters after Saturday’s win. “He’s fantastic after a year of injury and, for any player in the world, when you’re out for a year and then you come back, it’s not easy, and he’s at the top. That’s the only thing we expect from him.”
Maresca also revealed that his decision to replace the defender was not due to a worrying injury.
“We replaced him to try to protect him a little bit,” he continued. “He had also received a yellow card. It’s nothing serious. In the second half they replaced (Mohammed) Kudus and it was probably a big risk to keep him, but there is no injury.”
The Blues boss also took the time to congratulate Jadon Sancho – who left Manchester United for west London at the end of the transfer window.
“Jadon played well, that’s exactly what we expected from him. He worked very hard without the ball with (Aaron) Wan-Bissaka, and also in the second half. Then Pedro (Neto) came on and he played well, so we are happy.”
Chelsea They will return to action on Tuesday against Barrow in the Carabao Cup.
