Chelsea midfielder Romeo Lavia is set to face a spell on the sidelines after suffering an injury in the 2-2 draw against Qarabag in the UEFA Champions League last week.
This is according to Football London’s Bobby Vincent, who claims that the Belgium international will be out of action for at least one month.
Lavia is now in his third full campaign with Chelsea but has still not managed to play a complete 90 minutes for the club. A recurring series of minor injuries has continually halted his progress — and there is now an official diagnosis for his most recent setback.
Since joining from Southampton in August 2023, the Belgian midfielder has endured a difficult spell, missing a total of 78 games due to various injuries.
Over two and a half seasons at Stamford Bridge, he has featured in just 29 matches, missing a total of 88, struggling to establish consistency.
A combination of hamstring, thigh, and other unspecified issues has hindered his ability to stay fit — prompting the club to carefully manage his schedule by restricting his playing time and limiting him to one game per week.
Chelsea fans could still see the 21-year-old feature again this year, as Football London reports that if his recovery progresses as expected, the midfielder could return just in time for the clash against Everton at Stamford Bridge on December 13.
Blow
However, Lavia is set to miss at least six matches including the Premier League clashes with Burnley, Arsenal, Leeds United, and Bournemouth — while he will also be unavailable for Chelsea’s Champions League contests against Barcelona and Atalanta.
Since arriving at Stamford Bridge, the midfielder has managed just 1,341 minutes across 30 games without once completing a full 90 minutes, leaving persistent concerns about his reliability.
Although Maresca still rates the ex-Manchester City starlet highly, the Belgian’s continuous injury setbacks have compelled the Italian to rely more on other options who lack his calmness and precision in possession.
Meanwhile, Enzo Fernández and Pedro Neto are expected to use the international break to recover — the pair having withdrawn from duty with Argentina and Portugal, respectively.
Fernández continues to battle a lingering knee issue, while Neto sustained a groin problem in last weekend’s 3–0 win over his former club, Wolverhampton Wanderers.