Leicester's Wesley Fofana Tipped to Be 'One of the Best Defenders in the World'

Wesley Fofana's former boss, Claude Puel, has insisted that the defender can become one of the world's finest defenders after sealing a summer move to Leicester.

Brendan Rodgers had been on the hunt for new defensive acquisitions all summer, with bids for James Tarkowski failing to match the sky-high demands of Burnley.

At only 19 years old, the £32m the Foxes forked out to bring the centre-back to the King Power Stadium from Saint-Etienne raised a few eyebrows. Nevertheless, Puel revealed he has no doubts over Fofana's talents.

“In a year, Wesley would have cost much more, because big clubs had scheduled his breakthrough for that time," he told the Leicester Mercury. "He can become one of the best defenders in the world.”

Making his debut in the most recent round of fixtures, Fofana impressed against Villa despite his side falling to a late 1-0 home defeat, and Rodgers has backed up Puel's claims by stating he's set for a bright future.

“He’s a very streetwise player,” Rodgers said. “You can see his personality. He’s mature for a 19-year-old guy. As well, the senior players we have, Wes Morgan and Jonny Evans, are brilliant for our young centre-halves like Cags and now Wesley. I’m looking forward to seeing him blossom over the next few years."

Fofana is set for an extended spell in the senior side in the coming weeks, with the Foxes being beset with a string of injuries to key players. Caglar Soyuncu has been ruled out for three months, while central midfielder Wilfred Ndidi, who has helped out in central defence, looks set to miss the entire season.

Filip Benkovic left the club on loan having failed to meet expectations, while Daniel Amartey is also sidelined with a hamstring injury, leaving just Fofana, Wes Morgan and Jonny Evans fit.

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