Chelsea have been hit with a grinding injury setback that has seen their £58m summer signing missing the rest of the season.
Former Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia ditched Liverpool to join Chelsea last summer.
The 2004-born talent joined the Blues for £58m in the wave of new stars recruited into the squad last summer. He signed a seven-year contract.
Far from expectations, it has been a brutal debut season for Lavia at Chelsea.
The 20-year-old arrived London from Southampton with an ankle injury and had his debut for the Blues delayed.
He subsequently recovered from the injury issue and made his long-awaited debut for the club on Wednesday, December 27, 2023, in a Premier League clash with Crystal Palace.
The Belgian sensation came on as a substitute and played for only 32 minutes. After the game, it was confirmed he has picked up a thigh injury and will miss weeks and months of action for the Blues.
However, he was still expected to make a return to the team before the Blues wrapped up their campaign this season.
Now, in another setback to the young midfielder, Chelsea have confirmed a setback in his recovery. The report adds the 20-year-old will miss the rest of the season for the Blues in a big blow to his debut spell with the club.
“Midfielder Romeo Lavia is to unfortunately miss the remainder of our 2023-24 campaign following a setback in his recovery.
”Recent medical assessments have confirmed that Lavia, who sustained a significant thigh injury against Crystal Palace back in December, will not feature again this season,” Chelsea club statement reads.
The new worrying update on Lavia’s injury means the youngster will end up making only one appearance for Chelsea in his debut season and playing for just 32 minutes.
Chelsea injury crisis this season
Romeo Lavia’s injury disaster epitomizes Chelsea’s injury crisis this season. The Blues have grappled with a grinding injury situation that has truncated the fortunes of the club.
Reece James is leading the Blues’ list of injured players. James has spent more minutes on the sidelines than on the field for the Blues. He has missed 22 matches for the club.
Former RB Leipzig sensation Christopher Nkunku is also on the sidelines, including Levi Colwill. Lesley Ugochukwu also made the cut, struggling with a hamstring issue, and had missed 19 matches.
Wesley Fofana’s blow is the most serious. Fofana sustained a cruciate ligament tear and has missed 41 matches for the club.
Chelsea’s injury crisis has seen the fans cut Mauricio Pochettino some slacks amidst the club’s dwindling campaign this season.
Mauricio Pochettino has led Chelsea to the EFL Cup final where they lost to Liverpool. He has also led the team to the last four of the FA Cup where they will take on Manchester City for a place in the final.
While it has been an unconvincing first season in the Blues’ dugout for the Argentine, the stats are far more promising.
