Ben Chilwell sees big future for Wesley Fofana after Chelsea debut against West Ham and praises new signing’s ‘winning mentality’

Ben Chilwell has told talkSPORT how impressive new signing Wesley Fofana has been after he starred in a debut win against West Ham.

The defender completed a long-awaited move to Stamford Bridge as the transfer deadline day loomed, making the switch from Leicester for £70million.

The fee makes Frenchman Fofana the third-most expensive defender in football history behind Harry Maguire and Virgil van Dijk, putting a lot of pressure on the 21-year-old’s shoulders.

However, the early signs are positive, with Blues coach Thomas Tuchel having so much faith in his new recruit that he threw him straight into the lineup days after signing.

Fofana then played the 90 minutes alongside Thiago Silva and Kalidou Koulibaly, helping secure a 2-1 comeback win over rivals West Ham thanks to late goals from Chilwell and Kai Havertz.

Left back Chilwell was able to get a first runout alongside his new teammate, and couldn’t believe his instant impact.

“Massive kudos to Wes,” he said. “He’s only just come in, he’s trained with us twice. 

“Then he starts today, his first game at Stamford Bridge, it was a brilliant performance by him and many more to come. 

“To come in at such a young age and gel so quickly into the group is massive.

“He’s gonna have a massive future at our club. I think as well, all the boys that have come in have bought a mentality that they want to win. 

“Everyone here wants to win and you need to bring in players that have that same mentality. Reaching finals and winning finals is what this club’s all about.”