Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has confirmed that full-back Ben Chilwell is fit for the FA Cup semi-final against Leicester City.
Sunday afternoon’s clash at Stamford Bridge sees him come up against the club where he started his career. The left-back came up through the academy at the King Power Stadium, making his first-team debut in the League Cup in 2015.
He made two further appearances in the FA Cup before dropping down to the Championship to join Huddersfield on loan for the remainder of the season. He made his breakthrough the following season and went on to make a total of 123 appearances for the club, scoring four goals and establishing himself as an England regular.
After months of speculation over his future, Chilwell completed a £50 million move to Chelsea in the summer of 2020. An academy graduate moving on for a big fee after not making too much fuss ahead of his departure would usually lead to mutual respect from his former fans when they are reunited with the player, but that’s not the case here.
Leicester are bringing over 6000 fans to Stamford Bridge, with it likely that the majority will boo and jeer Chilwell, either when he’s on the pitch if he plays, or if his name is read out on the team sheet before the game. That’s due to a culmination of several factors.
Chilwell’s first games against the club he started at came during the coronavirus pandemic lockdowns, meaning that he was first reunited with Leicester fans at the FA Cup final. The former Leicester man thought he had equalised for Chelsea in the final minutes of the game, only for the goal to be ruled out by VAR.
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His celebration, where he ran and knee-slid towards the corner flag, didn’t go down too well with City fans. That came after comments from the defender saying that he wanted to win the final against Leicester more than any other game.
Following his transfer to Chelsea, Chilwell also admitted that he spoke to England teammates about a possible switch while he was still a Leicester player . It’s something, again, that didn’t go down to well with Leicester fans.
Chilwell will not be the only pantomime villain for the travelling fans. Defender Wesley Fofana would have also got a poor reception from his former supporters had he been fit to feature.
The Frenchman is not popular among Leicester fans after forcing a £75 million move to Chelsea in the summer of 2022, just months after signing a new contract at the King Power Stadium. Fofana is expected to miss the rest of the season with a knee injury.
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