Romeo Lavia: Injury Setbacks at Chelsea After Turning Down Liverpool

After turning down Liverpool for Chelsea, Romeo Lavia is yet to make his debut for the club, with a serious ankle injury set to keep him sidelined.

The to-and-fro between Lavia and Moises Caicedo in the latter weeks of the transfer window ultimately left Liverpool with neither. Both opted to join Chelsea, with the Reds eventually pivoting to Wataru Endo.

So far this season, none of those three players have set things alight, but the situation around Lavia – who reports claimed turned Liverpool down as he felt like their “second choice” – is different.

Lavia’s Injury and Recovery Time

The midfielder, signed from Southampton, is still awaiting his debut for Chelsea, having suffered ligament damage in training less than three weeks after joining. His initial recovery time was slated for six weeks, but a recent update from Mauricio Pochettino showed it is likely to be even longer.

“I don’t believe [he will be back],” he replied when asked if Lavia would be fit after the international break. “I cannot tell you, but he is still not running. After the international break, he is not going to be ready, Romeo.”

Liverpool’s Decision to Move On

Of course, this is a situation which no longer concerns Liverpool, who moved on to other targets and, if reports are to be believed, could be planning a bid for Fluminense’s Andre in January.

Lavia’s Lack of Professional Experience

But Lavia’s plight could indicate an early problem avoided in pursuing a player who became crucial to Southampton‘s relegation battle last season. Joining as an 18-year-old from Man City, Lavia had only made two appearances at first-team level prior to his switch to St Mary’s, amounting to 97 minutes on the pitch.

His campaign with the Saints was, therefore, his first full season as a senior professional, and he went on to play 34 times, clocking 2,490 minutes on the pitch. From January to May, he featured in all but one game, starting 23 of 26, and ended the campaign on a run of 11 consecutive starts in the Premier League.

Bajcetic’s Similar Situation

This heightened workload will have undoubtedly played a part in his increased risk of injury upon swapping Southampton for Chelsea, having already missed the summer’s U21 Euros with Belgium due to a muscle issue.

It is a problem Liverpool faced with the growing importance of an 18-year-old Stefan Bajcetic in the second half of last season. Bajcetic was on a regular run of starts in his first season as a senior professional, before suffering an abductor injury in March which ended his campaign early and, with setbacks, has seen him feature just twice since.

Conclusion

Much of it remains conjecture, particularly as Lavia’s injury was sustained in training, but he may not have arrived as the readymade starter Liverpool required.

Romeo Lavia’s injury setback at Chelsea after turning down Liverpool highlights the importance of considering a player’s experience level when signing them. While Lavia had a successful season with Southampton prior to joining Chelsea, his lack of professional experience may have contributed to his current injury. Similarly, Liverpool faced a similar issue with Stefan Bajcetic last season. Ultimately, it is important for teams to consider a player’s experience level when signing them in order to avoid potential injury setbacks.