It’s fair to say that last season, Cole Palmer was arguably the best player in the Premier League, let alone at Chelsea.
The attacking midfielder scored 22 goals and provided 11 assists in 29 league starts, which made him the highest goal contributor in the top flight.
However, the Blues could add another Palmer-esque player to their squad this summer, with a move for Michael Olise on the cards.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at a current Chelsea player who earns more than both Olise and Palmer, despite not justifying his salary.
Wesley Fofana’s start to life at Chelsea
Wesley Fofana made a name for himself at Leicester City during the 2020/21 season, impressing over his 27 league starts.
However, his second campaign in England was massively disrupted by a pre-season injury that kept him out until the end of March.
Despite missing plenty of action through the setback, Chelsea still saw enough talent and potential in Fofana to move for him that summer.
The French defender moved to Stamford Bridge for a huge £75m fee; however, his start to life at Chelsea was once again ruined by injuries, and he missed 26 games through a knee issue.
What Wesley Fofana earns at Chelsea
After recovering from those setbacks, last season was supposed to be a fresh start for Fofana, especially with new boss Mauricio Pochettino in charge.
However, another knee problem occurred in July, which meant that Fofana was forced to undergo reconstructive ACL surgery.
Unfortunately, this meant that the 23-year-old missed the entire 2023/24 campaign, and he’s set to not play a competitive game for over a year.
Despite being at the club for two years, he’s only played 20 times across all competitions, 57 games fewer than the matches he’s been absent for via injury.
1. Raphael Varane
£340k
2. John Stones
£250k
3. Virgil Van Dijk
£220k
4. Wesley Fofana
£200k
5. Josko Gvardiol
£200k
Nevertheless, when he joined, Fofana became one of the club’s highest-paid players, earning £200k per week, as per Capology.
The former Fox only earns less than Reece James and Raheem Sterling, £325k and £250k per week, while earning the exact same as another injury stricken figure in Ben Chilwell.
However, even more shockingly, this means that Fofana is also the joint-fourth-highest earning centre-back in the entire Premier League, earning just £20k per week less than Virgil Van Dijk, for example.
On top of that, the number 33’s salary is more than both Olise and Palmer’s combined, £100k and £75k-per-week, despite not playing at all.
Considering he signed a seven-year contract taking him to 2029, Chelsea will hope that his spell of terrible luck will come to an end; otherwise, they’ll be stuck.
There’s no denying that when Chelsea originally signed Fofana, he was one of the most promising defenders in Europe, with football scout Jacek Kulig saying that he’s an “elite prospect and already one of Premier League's best centre-backs.”
Sadly, the French defender has somewhat become a forgotten man at Chelsea, and there’s no denying that he’s cost the club millions with no output.
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