Christopher Nkunku and Romeo Lavia have endured false starts to their respective Chelsea careers, both struck down by serious injuries before making their competitive debuts in a crushing blow to Mauricio Pochettino’s hopes and plans. Their recoveries have followed a similar trajectory in the months since and, coincidentally, they seem destined to make their long-awaited debuts around the same time.
There has been a disparity, though, in the anticipation surrounding each player’s comeback; unsurprisingly, Bundesliga goal and assist machine Nkunku’s imminent return to fitness has generated plenty of excitement among a fanbase that has been starved of attacking productivity in recent seasons, but Lavia has become something of a forgotten man.
That isn’t helped by the fact that the 19-year-old is yet to even pull on the Blue shirt, but now he is finally on the cusp of making his bow, the £58 million ($74m) man will be determined to remind everyone of what he is all about.
World-class potential
Such has been the length of Lavia’s absence, you would be forgiven for forgetting just what he is capable of. But it takes something – or someone – special to build a reputation and command such a significant transfer fee despite being part of a team that suffered relegation.
Plucked from the Manchester City production line for what seemed like a costly £14m ($18m) just over a year ago, the Belgian emerged as one of the signings of the summer amid Southampton’s struggles in 2022-23.
Demonstrating the precocious confidence and technical ability you might expect of a youngster moulded in the famed Anderlecht and City academies, his evasiveness under pressure, ball-carrying ability and eye for a pass were outstanding.
But despite all of that, he is a defensive midfielder by trade – ranking in the top 15 players in the whole league for ball recoveries per 90 minutes and making more tackles than any other teenager, with 53. Of central midfielders aged 22 or under, he ranked third for interceptions behind only new team-mate Moises Caicedo and Everton’s Amadou Onana, while he also excels in ground duels.
Strength in depth
The presumption has been that Lavia will have to settle for a place on the bench once he has regained match fitness, with Pochettino having previously admitted – although in jest – that he is under some pressure to field £100m+ men Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez.
However, Lavia will have designs on a starting place and will hope to give his manager a decision to make. If he can replicate last season’s form, then it won’t be an easy one.
Whatever conclusion he comes to, though, the Argentine tactician will be delighted to have another quality option at his disposal. Despite their astronomical outlay, Chelsea have somehow still looked light in central midfield beyond regular starters Conor Gallagher, Fernandez and Caicedo, with Pochettino forced to call upon another 19-year-old in Lesley Ugochukwu, whose game is significantly less developed than his team-mates.
Alarm bells would have rung for Chelsea followers as soon as Ugochukwu was named in the starting line-up in the 4-1 drubbing at Newcastle, but Lavia – either off the bench or as a starter – would provide far more assurance.
Solution to the ‘craziness’
Lavia certainly won’t just be making up the numbers, then, with Chelsea’s lack of quality depth having been compounded by the three international breaks since September. In an era where recruitment is driven by data and analytics, it’s something of an oversight that the Blues’ £220m, go-to midfield pairing both hail from South America.
Neither Fernandez nor Caicedo have found their best form this season, with both drawing criticism having regularly looked a little sluggish. Their case certainly won’t have been helped by jetting off across the world to represent Argentina and Ecuador three times already this season, and returning just days before a domestic matchday. Pochettino – himself a former Argentina international – has noted as much, but with limited options, his hand has often been forced.
“It’s crazy for players to come back from South America on Wednesday and play on Saturday,” Pochettino said earlier this season. “Today Caceido and Enzo arrived after two games in America and they were not fresh. But they are important players for us. It’s really tough to arrive like that.”
He will be thrilled, then, that the next pause for national-team duty is not for four months, and in the interim Lavia can offer a reprieve, with his South American colleagues evidently well short of optimum conditioning.
Tactical fluidity
Indeed, once he is given an opportunity, there is every chance he will seize upon it to nail down a starting place, potentially having a fundamental effect on the way Chelsea play and providing his manager with a wealth of new tactical options.
Pochettino has built his reputation on a high-intensity approach in a 4-2-3-1 formation, but he has also deployed a 4-3-3 on occasion. Given the Blues’ troubles at the back of late, having a second defensive-minded midfielder alongside Caicedo would provide much-needed stability, perhaps in a 4-3-3 out of possession and in Pochettino’s preferred 4-2-3-1 with the ball.
In theory, Enzo should benefit as he is relieved of his defensive duties, with two exceptional midfield destroyers doing the dirty work behind him. Nkunku’s simultaneous return complicates things somewhat, but the manager certainly won’t see having options as a negative.
‘The only thing that could stop him’
Not 20 until 2024, Lavia has the potential to become a key figure for Chelsea for years to come alongside fellow youthful midfielders Enzo and Caicedo – but he will have to overcome the same obstacle that has prevented him from making his debut for the club to date.
The teenager’s involvement was initially delayed so he could catch up on match fitness in the summer, but he suffered an ankle ligament tear in training in September and that has kept him on the sidelines since.
Despite his tender years, this is not the first serious injury Lavia has suffered. He spent two months of last season out with a hamstring problem, and his coaches at both Southampton and Anderlecht were exasperated by his physical conditioning.
Jean Kindermans, Anderlecht academy’s technical director, told The Athletic: “The only thing that could stop him – and that’s the same for every player at that age – are injuries. But I know the guy is very professional and he’s working hard on his physical health, and mentally he’s very strong.”
Having been forced to wait for so long to make his bow in blue, Lavia will be absolutely determined to stay fit for the long-term. If he can do that, by all accounts, he can be a transformative presence at Stamford Bridge.
