Chelsea’s Lavia Faces Extended Absence Due to Injury Setback

Chelsea will be without midfielder Lavia for an additional month due to a recent injury setback, as reported by BBC Sport. Consequently, he will miss crucial matches against Burnley, Arsenal, Leeds, and Bournemouth in the Premier League. Additionally, Lavia is expected to miss Champions League matches against Barcelona and Atalanta due to a quadricep issue. Since joining the club in a £58 million transfer, Lavia has faced persistent injury problems that have affected his performance in the current season, limiting him to just seven appearances.

In the two years since his arrival at Chelsea, Lavia has played only 29 matches, leading head coach Maresca to express the club’s embarrassment over his ongoing injuries. “We feel very ashamed, especially for him, because he’s not able to be fit for a long, long period,” Maresca said following Chelsea’s encounter with Qarabag. He noted that Lavia’s current injury does not appear to be a recurrence of his previous hamstring issues but rather a new quadricep complication that requires further assessment.

Lavia’s injury history at Chelsea is concerning; he has suffered 10 injuries, resulting in 568 days on the sidelines and missing a total of 88 games since his transfer from Southampton in 2023. Remarkably, he has yet to complete a full 90 minutes for Chelsea, and this latest setback adds to a series of disappointments for the 21-year-old. Although the club has attempted to manage his workload to ensure regular participation, his ongoing fitness struggles persist.

In the past, Lavia has reflected on his injury challenges, expressing frustration with the unpredictable nature of recovery. He shared with The Athletic, “You’re young and you want to play. You’re getting to know your body as well, which is sometimes unfair because you feel like you’re doing everything right to get back, but then nature sometimes decides in a different way. It was just about understanding that and growing as a person. It was frustrating, but it was more in the head, and now it has helped me. Injuries can happen. I’d say that it was unlucky, and I tried to catch up every time. My body let me down a couple of times because I felt like I was doing everything right. I wouldn’t blame anything.”

Lavia is not the only Chelsea player grappling with injuries; Reece James has also faced similar challenges in recent seasons but appears to have overcome them. The club hopes to find a solution to Lavia’s ongoing fitness concerns.

As they navigate this period without Lavia, Maresca’s side will focus on important fixtures following the November international break, beginning with a clash against Burnley at Turf Moor, followed by a significant encounter with Barcelona in the Champions League at Stamford Bridge. Five days later, the Blues will host Arsenal in a pivotal Premier League matchup. Chelsea’s Cole Palmer is another key player currently sidelined due to injury, but there is optimism that he may return in time for these crucial fixtures, which would be a significant boost for Maresca and his team.