Chelsea's new £70million signing Wesley Fofana has revealed that he grew up idolising Didier Drogba and has supported the club since he was a youngster.
The 21-year-old arrived at Stamford Bridge from Leicester on Wednesday on a seven-year contract and has already begun training with his new team-mates.
The move represents a momentous occasion for the young defender, who has confirmed that Chelsea were his boyhood team.
"It's a dream for me to be here," Fofana said on Chelsea TV. "It is incredible. I am very happy.
"I like Chelsea because of Drogba. I was a very big fan of Drogba and watched all his games. I used to play no9 when I was young. I did it because I wanted to be like him but after I realised it is not for me the no9 and went back. I remember [watching him in] the final of the Champions League.
"I also like [N'Golo] Kante. I like the personality of the guy. He is a nice guy. I hope to be like the legends like [Marcel] Desailly and [Claude] Makelele. I hope in 20 years that I will have a banner at Stamford Bridge like them.
“I will give everything to the club because this is my club. I hope to give everything for the fans. I am very excited to get to training.”
The France Under-21 international also released a statement on Instagram, where he accused Leicester of leaking negative stories about him to the media and said manager Brendan Rodgers “chose to expose him a lot”, referring to his statements during the ongoing transfer saga.
Over the last month, as the clubs painstakingly negotiated a fee, Fofana revealed that he has been in touch with Chelsea's players both over the phone and on social media.
"I spoke to Reece [James], [Marc] Cucurella and Edouard [Mendy] on Instagram - maybe all the players," he added. "Reece James sent me a message on Instagram maybe one month ago and said 'you come here, you and me will play together, I will be your right-back’.
"It was good. I liked this for the confidence. He is my guy now."
James subtly sent a message about the transfer, playing with a similar haircut to Fofana’s, which features a love heart shaved into the side of his head.
