Burkina Faso
Chinese Taipei
Nigeria

Chelsea midfielder to miss rest of season after injury setback

sportsmole.co.uk, 27 March 2024, 13:50
Chelsea have been handed a major injury blow after Romeo Lavia was ruled out for the rest of the season.

After his standout first year at Southampton, Lavia was attracting widespread interest in his signature during the summer.

Ultimately, Chelsea won the race for the Belgium international's services, the expectation being that the youngster would be handed regular minutes by head coach Mauricio Pochettino.

However, a disastrous first campaign at Stamford Bridge for Lavia has now been capped off by the 20-year-old remaining sidelined for the closing two months of 2023-24.

Lavia had been working towards making a return to action for the first time since suffering a thigh injury on his debut against Crystal Palace in December.

Recent updates have not necessarily been forthcoming, yet the belief was that the former Manchester City academy player could feature during the run-in.

Instead, Chelsea released a statement on Wednesday afternoon, saying: "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."

That development now means that Lavia - who cost £53m - will end the campaign having only spent 32 minutes, plus added-on time, on the pitch.

During the aforementioned extra minutes against Palace, Lavia was visibly struggling but saw out the game, helping Chelsea record a morale-boosting 2-1 win.

Nevertheless, it has come at a cost, and the West Londoners will now get no return on the excessive fee that they shelled out in August.

Lavia had previously been absent from early in September courtesy of an ankle ligament injury sustained during the first international break of the season.

How could Pochettino and Chelsea handle the situation?

While Chelsea are well-stocked for midfielders, Pochettino has rarely had all of them available at the same time, instead being overly-reliant on the likes of Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez and Conor Gallagher.

Lesley Ugochukwu, as well as Lavia, were initially regarded as backup for the trio, with Carney Chukwuemeka missing the majority of the campaign through injury.

As it stands, Chukwuemeka is building his fitness ahead of receiving more first-team minutes, and although Ugochukwu has been absent since December with a hamstring injury, he is close to a return.

Meanwhile, Pochettino has the option of using Cesare Casadei, who has featured for just 17 minutes across three substitute outings since returning from a loan stint with Leicester City. That could change with a start against Burnley on Saturday, should Fernandez drop down to the substitutes' bench after playing for Argentina in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

The injury to Lavia may result in loan opportunities being assessed for 2024-25 in order to gain regular action. Chelsea could also benefit from receiving a loan fee and getting his wages off their outgoings as they bid to comply with the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability regulations.

Top News

20 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk A talented youthful striker apparently wanted by Arsenal is now believed to be the subject of interest from the Saudi Pro League. 20 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool have confirmed the appointment of Feyenoord manager Arne Slot as their new head coach to replace Jurgen Klopp. 20 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Following 51 games without defeat, Bayer Leverkusen put their unbeaten record on the line in Wednesday's Europa League final, when Atalanta BC attempt to finally halt the German champions. 20 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe may reportedly not be involved in the Coupe de France final. 20 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United have reportedly set an asking price for one of their more experienced players ahead of the summer transfer window. 20 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City striker Erling Haaland has expressed his pride after winning a second successive Premier League Golden Boot. 20 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Serbia's preliminary squad for Euro 2024 has been named by head coach Dragan Stojkovic, who has called upon an initial 35 players for the national team training camp before their flight to Germany. 20 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk West Ham United are reportedly set to announce the appointment of David Moyes's successor as manager 'later this week'. 20 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Brasileirao Serie A side Corinthians take on Serie D America de Natal in the second leg of the Copa do Brasil third round at the Neo Quimica Arena on Thursday morning. 20 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner has issued a fresh update on the futures of in-demand trio Michael Olise, Eberechi Eze and Jean-Philippe Mateta ahead of the summer transfer window. 20 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United and Bayern Munich are reportedly among a number of clubs interested in signing Red Bull Salzburg centre-back Oumar Solet. 20 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City midfielder Rodri has claimed that Arsenal lacked the 'mentality' to win the Premier League title and has criticised the Gunners for not wanting to beat them at the Etihad Stadium earlier this season. 20 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk ADO Den Haag and SBV Excelsior will be looking to boost their chances of playing Eredivisie football next season when they square off in the first leg of their playoff semi-final on Wednesday. 20 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk The final chapter has closed on a captivating 2023-24 Premier League season, one which saw Manchester City earn another slice of English football history as the first team to win four Premier League titles on the spin. 20 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk The final chapter has closed on a captivating 2023-24 Premier League season, one which saw Manchester City earn another slice of English football history as the first team to win four Premier League titles on the spin. 20 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aston Villa may reportedly be prepared to be creative in a bid to sign Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher. 20 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly made the decision to part ways with Ryan Sessegnon on a free transfer. 20 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United have reportedly decided on an asking price for winger Jadon Sancho ahead of the summer transfer window. 20 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England Under-17s manager Greg Lincoln has named his 21-man squad for the upcoming European Championships in Cyprus, with the inclusion of two highly-rated North London products. 20 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk No coronavirus-enforced stoppages. No matches behind closed doors. No schedule-conflicting World Cup breaks over the Christmas period. 20 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Botafogo can qualify for the last 16 of the Copa do Brasil for a third successive campaign with a win or draw in the second leg of their third-round tie against Vitoria on Wednesday at Estadio Manoel Barradas. 20 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Two sides in early relegation danger in their respective domestic competitions will be seeking a place in the last 16 of the Copa do Brasil as Atletico Goianiense welcome Brusque to Estadio Antonio Accioly on Wednesday. 20 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Needing at least a two-goal victory to have any hope of advancing beyond the third round of the Copa do Brasil, Sampaio Correa face a tall task when they head to the Maracana on Wednesday to battle Fluminense. 20 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk The season is over and while the transfer window doesn't technically open until June 14, clubs across the UK and Europe are free to get deals in place ahead of next season. 20 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Salernitana vs. Hellas Verona (Monday, 5.30pm) Hellas Verona travel to rock-bottom Salernitana on Monday evening, hoping to secure their Serie A status for another season. 19 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk On Tuesday, England Under-17s will kick off the European Under-17 Championship with a tricky game against last year's runners-up France Under-17s. 19 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk The Manchester United squad are apparently facing the prospect of a mammoth pay cut due to their failure to qualify for the 2024-25 Champions League. 19 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk David Moyes believes he is leaving West Ham United having enjoyed a "successful" period as the club's manager and hopes they can reach new heights in the 2024-25 season. 19 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk On Tuesday, Spain Under-17s will face Iberian rivals Portugal Under-17s on matchday one of the European Under-17 Championship. 19 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta issued a short, sharp response when asked if the injury that kept Bukayo Saka out of Sunday's 2-1 win over Everton could harm his chances of playing for England at Euro 2024.