Chelsea midfielder Roméo Lavia and his injury hell has continued into this season, with the Belgian hauled off after just six minutes against Qarabağ in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Lavia, who was spotted launching a water bottle in frustration moments after being substituted in Azerbaijan, was forced to sit out 226 days last term through injury, and managed just over half an hour throughout the entirety of 2023/2024 after his near-£60 million move from Southampton.
Qarabağ 2-2 Chelsea - best players Match Rating
Estevao 8.2
Alejandro Garnacho 7.5
Leandro Andrade 7.4
Matheus Silva 7.0
Marko Jankovic 7.0
via WhoScored
The stats surrounding his absences make for very grim reading, and what's more, Lavia has never even completed a full 90 minutes for the west Londoners.
The 21-year-old was once Southampton's "shining star" and a player to get "very excited" about, according to journalist Sam Tighe in 2023, but injuries have plagued Lavia ever since he signed on the dotted line at Stamford Bridge.
On his day, and when available, Lavia is a phenomenal alternative to the likes of Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernández in Chelsea's midfield, with Enzo Maresca effusive in his praise for the ex-Man City academy star.
"When he is fit, he is one of the best midfielders. He can defend very well, he can attack, he can break the line and pass between the lines," Maresca said in April.
"I spent one entire season with Romeo when I was Under-23 coach at Manchester City, so I know him very well. For us, it was like Reece James. They are both top players.
"The only shame for us is that unfortunately we need to manage them. We need to protect them, but there is no doubt that Chelsea with Reece and Romeo is a better team."
However, his consistent lack of availability is a major cause for concern, and supporters are beginning to speculate whether the Blues could decide to pull the plug and sell him next year.
Now, journalist Graeme Bailey has provided an update.
Chelsea tipped to move for Adam Wharton amid Roméo Lavia injury
Speaking to the Chelsea Chronicle, Bailey tips them to potentially enter the race for Crystal Palace star Adam Wharton next year, albeit not in January, or other big-name midfielders like Real Madrid duo Aurelien Tchouameni or Eduardo Camavinga.
Crystal Palace's Adam Wharton reacts after the match
However, he emphasises that Chelsea were already planning to sign a new midfielder before Lavia's latest injury, so it isn't exactly a reactionary decision, and the club remain huge fans of their 2023 signing.
“In terms of Lavia, Chelsea think he’s great. They love him a lot. Obviously, he’s not being very fortunate with injuries at the minute. They think he is potentially properly able to compete with Caicedo and Fernandez.
“They do rate him highly and as he’s just not been able to show that just yet. With every position with Chelsea the midfield department is something they’re always assessing.
“This injury isn’t kickstarting anything particularly. They were already looking at this. They were already assessing the midfield market.
“Will it be the opportunistic one? Will it be if Adam Wharton leaves next summer, do Chelsea think they’ve got to be in that battle? I think they probably will, but the same can be said of, if Tchouameni or Camavinga leave Real Madrid.
“These are players who they’ve got a long history of assessing. From what I’m hearing don’t be surprised if a centre midfielder comes in the summer but I think it’ll be one that one they’ve already done work on.”
Wharton, in particular, would be an intriguing option for BlueCo.
The 21-year-old earned a place in Gareth Southgate's England squad for the last Euros after his stellar 2024 form, but he was forced to sit out most of last season after needing groin surgery.
Arsenal, Manchester United and Tottenham were among the clubs scouting Wharton at Blackburn Rovers before Palace ultimately took the plunge (The Guardian), with reports now suggesting that the Eagles value Wharton at an eye-watering £100 million.
Unless Wharton rediscovers his 23/24 prowess, Palace are very unlikely to get a fee of that magnitude, even if he is still considered by some as one of England's brightest midfield prospects right now.