Chelsea fans are still yet to see Romeo Lavia make his debut for the Blues following a £58m move from Southampton in August.
The Belgian endured a disrupted pre-season due to speculation surrounding his future, so Chelsea are simply rebuilding his match fitness before throwing him into action.
So, when can Chelsea fans expect to see Romeo Lavia make his first appearance? Let’s take a look…
What’s the story?
Well – according to the Evening Standard – the Belgium international should be ready to play by the end of September.
Supporters were hoping to see Lavia play against Bournemouth on Sunday 17th September – immediately after the international break – although Pochettino has placed him on a “reconditioning” period which should take a few weeks.
Nizaar Kinsella of the Evening Standard wrote: “The new signing is still a doubt for after the international break due to a “reconditioning” period that Pochettino said will last a few weeks. That timeframe points to later this month.”
Therefore, Chelsea fans can expect to see Lavia make his debut potentially against Brighton in the Carabao Cup clash on Wednesday 27th September.
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If not that game, then the 19-year-old should be ready to play against Fulham on Monday 2nd October, barring any setbacks in his fitness work.
Romeo Lavia should have some at Chelsea sweating
In our view, Lavia did not join Chelsea to warm the bench – he is working to come straight into the starting XI, so some at Stamford Bridge need to up their game.
The likes of Conor Gallagher, Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez may have one or two more matches together before Lavia is ready, and Pochettino will surely be keeping an eye on the trio to see who should drop out.
Hopefully, that works in Chelsea’s favour and the midfield trio are fully motivated to perform.
After all, anyone who fails to deliver this month will most likely be dropped for Lavia, so the onus is now on Fernandez, Gallagher and Caicedo to impress.
