ANOTHER new Chelsea signing injured before he's kicked a ball

Stuart Telford

• 8 Sept 2023 19:25 BST
• 3 min read

Romeo Lavia is the latest Chelsea signing to have picked up an injury in training, meaning his debut could have to wait until well after the international break.

Lavia joined Chelsea from Southampton for an initial £53 million in August, rejecting Liverpool in order to sign a seven-year contract at Stamford Bridge, but he is yet to make his debut for the Blues.

Head coach Mauricio Pochettino had previously admitted that the Belgium midfielder "needed a few weeks" to be ready, but that was down to match fitness and tactical integration as much as anything.

READ: Revealed: The two Chelsea players KEY in Lavia transfer

But now the 19-year-old, who came through Manchester City's youth academy, has picked up an injury in training, potentially ruling him out beyond the players' return from the current international break.

Lavia sidelined with ankle injury

"Romeo Lavia just got injured at training session today with Chelsea," tweeted RMC Sport's Belgium specialist Sacha Tavolieri. "Could be a muscle tear at the ankle… more to follow."

At the time of writing, more is yet to follow, with Chelsea also neglecting to give an update on the player's situation, but such an injury might normally be expected to keep a player out for up to a month or more.

READ: Chelsea still WASTING MONEY after transfer window closes

Chelsea have had awful luck with injuries to new players at the start of the season. Christopher Nkunku, a €60m arrival from RB Leipzig, has had to undergo knee surgery and won't appear until December at the earliest, while his nominal replacement Carney Chukwuemeka suffered a knee injury of his own in last month's 3-1 defeat to West Ham.

Chelsea spent another £400m on new players this summer, to take their expenditure on that front beyond the £1 billion mark since Todd Boehly took charge of the club in May 2022.

Results are yet to reflect that outlay, though, and the Blues were 12th in the table heading into the latest international break.