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Player reportPremier League 2025/26

Wesley Fofana

Chelsea
Ball-playing centre-back CB
5.4 progressive passes/90 · 0.8 line-breaking/90
centre-backball-playing centre-backbuild-upline-breaking
2196
minutes
29 apps
1439
passes
92% completed
92%
pass completion
1439 passes
132
progressive passes
5.4/90
77
line-breaking passes
3.2/90
466
defensive actions
19.1/90
77
tackles + interceptions
58% tackle win
158
clearances
6.5/90
Overview

The player

Who he is and how he compares with his peers.

01

What Patterns Define Him?

His repeatable signature. A step only appears if its reliability score (sample size × match coverage) reaches at least Medium confidence — pattern mining, not anecdotes.

RECEIVE
in the first line of build-up — mostly in the middle third (59% of his 1439 passes)
92% completion · 1439× in 29/29 matches
↓
CARRY OUT
step into midfield to commit a presser
19 carries · 38× in 12/29 matches
↓
BREAK A LINE
vertical pass past the opponent midfield
5.4 prog/90 · 77× in 28/29 matches
↓
SWITCH PLAY
diagonal to the far side
cross-field balls · 21× in 14/29 matches
↓
PROGRESS
entries into the final third
4.3/90 · 106× in 23/29 matches
Signature: receive in the first line → break the midfield line vertically → switch or progress. Press him early and shut the vertical lane to force the safe sideways ball.
17

Where is he influential — vs where is he merely present?

Red fill = raw touch territory. Gold rings = zones where his influence (xT added, progression, line-breaks, key passes) outweighs how often he's actually there — one combined map instead of two separate maps to compare by eye. Red with no ring: present but not dangerous. A ring on faint red: rare touches, outsized impact.

own goal left, attacking →
50
passes / match
19.1
def actions / 90
5–112
pass range (matches)
158
clearances
Pass range = his fewest and most passes in any single match this season (5 at the low end, 112 at the high) — a measure of match-to-match involvement, not pass distance.
In possession

In possession

What he does with the ball: build-up, progression, creation, carrying and finishing.

10

How dangerous are his carries?

Real ball-carries

360 tracked carries (14.8/90, 71 progressive, 3054m total) — the ball moving with his touches, a different signal from dribbles below (beating an opponent 1v1). even a player who rarely dribbles past a man can still carry the ball forward constantly in build-up; this is that.

7%16%22%8%2%0%2%12%16%10%1%1%1%1%1%1%
progressivelateral/short% of his 360 carries originating in each zone · own goal left, attacking →
Every carry, exact path — median 6m, longest 44m
By zone — where the carry started → where it ended
30Outside → Inside
254Inside → Inside
42Outside → Outside
34Inside → Outside
First (115)Second (106)Third (101)Fourth (38)grouped by carry pattern (start + end position), largest group first
startendown goal left, attacking →

Beaten in the tackle

How often an attacker gets past him in a 1v1 defensive duel — the closest signal the data has to "dribbled past" (no attacker-beat-defender field exists directly, so this counts tackles he attempted and lost).

26
tackle duels
15
won
11
beaten · 42%
brighter band = more tackle duels · own goal left, attacking →
INSIDE 54%
OUTSIDE 46%
Tackle-duel location — 14 inside · 12 outside
Right Wing
9 · 35%
Right Half-Space
7 · 27%
Central
5 · 19%
Left Half-Space
2 · 8%
Left Wing
3 · 12%
Vision AI beaten in 11 of 26 tackle duels (42% loss rate) — a real defensive leak worth flagging.
Every tackle duel, exact location
wonlost — dribbled pastown goal left, attacking →

Dribbles (1v1s)

For a centre-back the carry is a build-up weapon — does he step out through the middle, or keep it simple? Every carry classified by channel. Season rate: 0.78 dribbles attempted /90.

brighter band = more dribbles · own goal left, attacking →
INSIDE 63%
OUTSIDE 37%
Dribble location — 12 inside · 7 outside
Right Wing
6 · 32%
Right Half-Space
8 · 42%
Central
4 · 21%
Left Half-Space
0 · 0%
Left Wing
1 · 5%
Vision AI 63% of his carries are central — he steps out through the middle to draw a presser before releasing.
02

How does he build & move the ball?

How does he escape the first line?

12%
vertical passes
115×
2%
switches
16×
29%
carries
281×
57%
short circulation
542×
Answer: he escapes the press primarily through carrying — stepping out with the ball.

How he moves the ball — his 4 busiest progression routes, not where every pass starts and ends separately. Arrow width = how often, colour = xT gained, dashed = switch of play. The full breakdown is in the lane matrix below.

own goal left, attacking →
Lane transition matrix — when he receives in a lane, where does it go?
TO →RWRHSCLHSLWRW26638%10136%9726%68RHS67329%19420%13447%3164%251%4C32714%4517%5643%13924%792%8LHS452%12%142%1936%1618%8LW1090%910%1FROM
Rows normalised: each row sums to 100% of that lane's completed passes. Grey number = passes from that lane.

Primary route: the right half-space in the middle third → central areas in the middle third — 8 progressive passes (10% of his progression) at 0.007 xT each. He moves it inside.

His progression is inward: 53% of progressive passes move the ball toward the middle versus 1% going wider — he cuts in rather than holding width.

Only 4% of his passes switch play, so his threat is same-side — contain the flank he occupies and the route closes.

Quality behind the volume: 20 line-breaking passes and 106 final-third entries, 18.9 total xT added.

Origin and destination are measured on the same event row — no receiver inference. Receiver identity is not recoverable from this data source.
All passes — origin zone share
Filter: from to
5%19%21%16%3%0%2%10%14%7%1%0%0%1%1%1%0%
completedincomplete1439 passes · any zone → any zone · own goal left, attacking →
1439
passes
92%
completed
118
lost
Vision AIIn line with his 92% season completion rate.
03

How does he progress play?

How much he drives the ball forward. Progressive = completed pass advancing ≥15 toward goal.

132
progressive · 5.4/90
106
final-third entries · 4.3/90
3
box entries · 0.12/90
18
progression index /90
Progression index: one composite number — progressive passes + progressive carries + 2% of total distance progressed + 8× positive xT added, all per 90. Weights VOLUME and THREAT together rather than counting progressive actions alone.
12

How does he create chances?

3 key passes (0.12/90), 0 of them assists — where his chance creation specifically comes from, 18 zones (6×3), showing his share of key passes originating there.

Chance creation — key pass origin zone share
Filter:
67%33%
chance creation (3)assist (0)% of the selected group's key passes originating in each zone
06

Where does he become vulnerable?

126 times he gave the ball away. For a defender the danger is where — a loss in his own third can turn into a chance against; higher up it costs little.

10
attacking third (cheap)
60
middle third
56
own third (dangerous)
Vision AI 8% of losses are in the attacking third — a notable share happen deeper, which invites transitions.
Mistake danger (proxy): 2.59 danger-index/90 · 0.502 avg/turnover. Weights each loss by threat conceded at that location. True xT-conceded needs the opponent possession model; positional proxy.
05

What is his passing profile?

1439
passes attempted
46%
mostly forward
48%
mostly short
Direction
Forward
664 · 46%
Sideways
514 · 36%
Backward
261 · 18%
Length (completed)
Short (<15m)
639 · 48%
Medium
634 · 48%
Long (>30m)
48 · 4%
07

Preferred Progression Routes — xT-weighted

His progressive passes as zone→zone routes, weighted by expected threat (xT) added — arrow width and the number are the total xT generated on each route, not just how often he plays it. This is where he actually moves the needle.

0.940.840.680.680.610.61
own goal left, attacking →
Highest-value routes (xT)
0.94
Right Wing Mid third → Right Wing Att third
4 passes
0.84
Right Half-Space Mid third → Right Wing Mid third
16 passes
0.68
Right Half-Space Mid third → Right Half-Space Mid third
8 passes
0.68
Central Mid third → Central Mid third
6 passes
0.61
Right Wing Def third → Right Wing Mid third
7 passes
0.61
Central Mid third → Right Wing Mid third
12 passes
08

Where Does He Receive?

The zones where Wesley Fofana gets on the ball — his top three ball-collection areas highlighted (gold = primary). Reception is proxied by where his on-ball actions begin (no explicit receiver is recorded).

123
1 = primary, 2 = secondary, 3 = third · own goal left, attacking →
His collection zones
31%
Primary
Right Half-Space, Middle third
17%
Secondary
Right Half-Space, Defensive third
14%
Third
Central, Middle third
These are the zones where he collected the ball most.
09

Where Does He Operate? — Every Zone

Every on-ball touch (pass, dribble, shot) binned into a 6×3 grid — raw counts of where Wesley Fofana actually gets on the ball. Hover any zone for its breakdown by action type, its share of all touches, and the exact coordinate range it covers.

Filter:
621128525150199102111070273298227472
own goal left, attacking → · brighter + higher number = more touches

Passes only — completed vs incomplete, by zone

Same zone grid, restricted to passes so completed/incomplete and match filters actually mean something — a shot or a dribble has no "completed" in the pass sense.

5%19%21%16%3%0%2%10%14%7%1%0%0%1%1%1%0%
own goal left, attacking →
11

Every Pass This Season — completed vs incomplete

Every pass this season, plotted individually — green = completed, grey (dashed) = incomplete, gold = key pass. Filter by outcome or isolate one match below.

3Key pass
1Cross
1Cutback
132Progressive
77Long ball
21Switch
By zone — where the pass started → where it landed
174Outside → Inside
785Inside → Inside
102Outside → Outside
260Inside → Outside
By direction
664Forward
261Backward
514Sideways
own goal left, attacking →
04

Tactical patterns — how his football actually looks

Three clustered sequence diagrams from his own event data — his three busiest routes: the way he progresses, the pattern behind his chances, and where a turnover turns dangerous.

own goal left, attacking →
How does he progress the ball forward?
His most common route for progressing play: he plays straight through the right wing, advancing it forward in the middle third — 4 passes worth 0.94 xT.
Where do his chances come from?
Of 3 key passes, his busiest route is a delivery where he plays inside from the right wing toward the right hs in the final third — 1 times. The receiver isn't identifiable in this data, only where the pass started and ended.
Where does he lose the ball most?
This is a RATE, not a raw count — the share of his touches in each zone that end in a turnover, so a zone he simply plays in more often doesn't automatically look riskier. His weakest zone is the central in the final third: 25% of his 8 touches there are lost (2 times).
23%29/127 lost5%13/243 lost6%8/131 lost10%2/20 lost0%0/8 lost11%18/166 lost6%27/443 lost4%8/206 lost14%4/28 lost—1 touch · too few5%1/21 lost13%4/31 lost25%2/8 lost—4 touches · too few—2 touches · too fewRWRHSCLHSLWDEFMIDATT
Out of possession

Out of possession

Where and how he defends and presses.

13

How & where does he defend?

466 defensive actions across the season (19.1/90). Where he wins the ball, and how — the core question for a defender. Aerial duels are not recorded for this competition, so aerial dominance is not measured here.

click a card to isolate that action type · own goal left, attacking →
26
tackles · 58% won
51
interceptions · 2.1/90
92
recoveries · 3.8/90
158
clearances · 6.5/90
9
blocks
29
avg action height
27
won high (att 3rd)
141
middle third
298
own third
Vision AI A deep-defending defender. He wins the ball mainly by stepping in — tackles, interceptions & recoveries outweigh clearances. 169 proactive ball-wins (6.9/90), tackle success 58%. He defends deep, protecting his box — a last-line stopper.
14

Can he play under pressure?

Split by how hard the opponent pressed (opponent PPDA — lower = more intense press). Can Wesley Fofana still play out when the opponent presses high? His build-up quality split by press intensity — the key question for a ball-playing defender. Tiers of ~9-11 matches — directional evidence, not proof.

press tier
completion
prog /90
line-breaks /90
xT /90
High press (PPDA 4.8, 9m)
90%
4.3
3.2
0.88
Mid press (PPDA 7.1, 9m)
89%
5.6
3.2
1.05
Low press (PPDA 12.5, 11m)
95%
6.3
3.0
1.38
Team

Team context

How much of the team runs through him, and what changes without him.

15

Impact on the Team

Chelsea's output per match with Wesley Fofana (4 matches) versus without him (4 matches). Insufficient evidence — the without-sample is only 4 matches; treat every Δ below as noise until more games exist. What his own defending should move — goals conceded and results — leads; attacking output (largely out of a defender's hands) is shown after, for context. A proper on-off model needs many more minutes.

WITH (4)
WITHOUT (4)
Δ
goals against /match
2.50
1.25
+1.25
points /match
1.00
2.25
-1.25
goals for /match
1.75
2.50
-0.75
xG for /match
1.20
1.15
+0.05
16

His Share of the Team

Of everything Chelsea produced this season, the categories where the biggest share ran through Wesley Fofana specifically — his share of the team total, not a per-90 rate.

category
share
him / team
clearances
9%
158 / 1807
interceptions
8%
51 / 642
final-third entries
4%
117 / 3066
Recruitment

Style and verdict

Style profile, closest comparables, and the summary.

18

Playing-Style Profile

Not raw event counts — football style scores: weighted models scored 0–100 against the 515 centre-backs in the pool (min 450 min). This is what separates players who post similar numbers but play differently. Proxy dimensions are inferred from on-ball data; true off-ball running / under-pressure context is not measured.

Ball-playing centre-back79%Stopper centre-back69%
Why Ball-playing centre-back 79%: a weighted blend of retention 87 (weight 30%) + build-up 71 (weight 30%) + progression 55 (weight 25%) + press resistance 77 (weight 15%). The score reflects how distinctively his profile SHAPE matches this archetype vs his peers.
Elite
retention
Strong
dribbling, press resistance, build-up
Average
ball-winning, crossing, carrying, receiving zones, line-breaking, final-third threat, defensive aggression, progression, transition, territory (wide vs central)
Weak
creativity, passing directness, through-balls, box threat
Unknown
aerial ability, marking, off-ball running — not in event data
Retention
87
Dribbling
77
Press resistance ~proxy
77
Build-up
71
Ball-winning
66
Crossing
65
Carrying
63
Receiving zones
60
Line-breaking
57
Final-third threat
56
Defensive aggression
55
Progression
55
Transition ~proxy
53
Territory (wide vs central)
42
Creativity
38
Passing directness
32
Through-balls ~proxy
29
Box threat
20
19

Similar Players — in style space

Closest comparables measured on the style scores above, within the same position family — so it separates how players are alike, not just how much they touch the ball. Each line explains the shared strength and the divergent mechanism. A light physical-profile term (height / weight; this player: 185 cm / 84 kg) is included at a quarter of one style axis's weight — enough to break ties between stylistic twins, not to override style. Scope: pooled across the Premier League, Bundesliga, La Liga, Ligue 1 and Serie A, percentiled within each player's own league before comparing — a match from another league is marked with its league name.

Style, not quality: a high match here means two players tend to produce the ball in similar ways — it is not a ranking, a scouting recommendation, or a claim that they are equally good.

William Saliba Arsenal 25/26 · 192 cm / 92 kg
79%
Driven by: retention (24%), press resistance (18%), box threat (15%). Different mechanism — Fofana more via ball-winning.
Abdukodir Khusanov Man City · 186 cm / 83 kg
76%
Driven by: press resistance (21%), retention (20%), ball-winning (12%). Different mechanism — Khusanov more via through-balls, ball-winning.
Luca Jaquez Stuttgart · Bundesliga · 187 cm / 80 kg
76%
Driven by: retention (23%), press resistance (21%), box threat (15%). Different mechanism — Fofana more via ball-winning, defensive aggression.
Mamadou Sarr Real Sociedad · La Liga · 194 cm / 77 kg
72%
Driven by: retention (22%), press resistance (19%), build-up (18%). Different mechanism — Fofana more via line-breaking, final-third threat; Sarr more via build-up.
Lewis Dunk Brighton · 192 cm / 88 kg
71%
Driven by: retention (27%), build-up (21%), press resistance (19%). Different mechanism — Fofana more via territory (wide vs central), crossing; Dunk more via box threat.
Josip Sutalo Lazio · Serie A · 185 cm / 82 kg
68%
Driven by: retention (20%), box threat (19%), press resistance (18%). Different mechanism — Fofana more via crossing, line-breaking.
20

Summary

Wesley Fofana is a ball-playing centre-back / stopper centre-back: 92% pass completion, 77 line-breaking passes and 5.4 progressive passes /90. A build-and-progress centre-back whose value is in beating the first line with the pass, not in raw defensive volume. [Aerial duels, marking, line-height and 1v1 recovery need aerial-event + tracking data, absent here.]

Based on 29 matches (2196 minutes) this season — a reliable read. He profiles as a ball-playing centre-back / stopper centre-back — best used in a system built around that identity. His biggest room for growth is progression — even a modest improvement there would meaningfully lift his overall ball-playing centre-back profile.
✨ This report is interactive

Click any stat card to filter its map, hover a dot for the exact match, and use the dropdowns to slice passes zone-to-zone. Nothing here is static.

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