French media drop worrying verdict on Chelsea’s Maxence Lacroix after France win
Maxence Lacroix had some difficulty on international duty for France.
French defender Maxence Lacroix completed a £52 million move to Chelsea from Crystal Palace in July 2026, signing a long-term contract through 2032.
He has logged seven appearances across all competitions for the Blues so far, featuring in fixtures against Fulham, Brighton, Arsenal, Hull, and Brentford, alongside EFL Cup wins over Luton and Leeds.
Lacroix has now joined up with France for the international break.
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Maxence Lacroix starts for France against Turkey
Maxence Lacroix played the full 90 minutes for France in their 1-0 UEFA Nations League victory over Turkey.
The Chelsea defender had 71 touches, a passing accuracy percentage of 90, three passes into the final third, one tackle, two interceptions, one block, eight recoveries, six clearances and three out of four duels.
However, French outlet Maxifoot weren’t too pleased with his display.
‘Maxence Lacroix (5): The Chelsea central defender seemed much less serene than his colleague in central defence. He tried to compensate for his lack of speed with his physical power, but he sometimes seemed to struggle on some opponents’ attacks.’
Though he set up a goal on his league debut against Fulham, defensive consistency remains a work in progress, highlighted by a tough 3-0 defeat at Brentford where the backline faltered.
Heading into the international break, he remains a key part of the central defensive rotation, but there’s a lot of work to be done, given the record-breaking start for all the wrong reasons.
Chelsea suffer injury blows on international duty
Chelsea’s international break has turned into a major headache with three key players picking up injuries.
Cole Palmer pulled out of Thomas Tuchel’s England squad before the Nations League fixtures due to a recurring muscle issue.
Meanwhile, Jamie Gittens was forced off at the end of the first half with a knock during England U21s’ 4-2 win over Kazakhstan and was later pictured on crutches.
To complete the treble, goalkeeper Mike Penders suffered a quadriceps injury in training with Belgium, forcing him to miss their clash against Italy.
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