Chelsea had the chance to build on their impressive win over Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday night, but as they have done so many times this season, they faltered.
On paper, a game against Qarabağ looked like an easy three points for Enzo Maresca’s side, but in the end, they had to settle for just one.
The draw leaves them 12th in the Champions League, but the worst thing to come out of the match was another injury to Roméo Lavia.
The Belgian has been extremely unlucky during his time at Chelsea, and unless his luck improves, he could eventually be replaced by one of Cobham’s most promising prospects.
Lavia's Chelsea career
Chelsea signed Lavia from Southampton, and from under Liverpool’s nose, in the summer of 2023.
At the time, it seemed like money well spent, as the youngster was one of the most exciting midfielders in the Premier League the previous season and, as journalist Sam Tighe pointed out, “a shining star despite playing in terrible circumstances most of the time.”
Unfortunately, the youngster suffered a muscle tear and then an ankle injury in September 2023 and couldn’t make his competitive debut for the club until the 27th of December.
However, he wouldn’t kick on from there, as, thanks to a hamstring injury, he wouldn’t make another appearance all season.
Last season was marginally better, but even then, five injuries limited him to just 22 appearances, four of which came at the Club World Cup.
To nobody’s surprise, this year has not been much better, as the 21-year-old missed the first five league games with a muscle strain and came off the pitch on Wednesday night with another muscle injury.
Across the last two and a half years, Lavia has made just 30 appearances for the Blues, coming to a total of 1341 minutes.
23/24
1
32′
24/25
22
1069′
25/26
7
240′
It would be hard to describe his time at Chelsea as anything other than a failure at the moment, and if he continues to be unreliable over the coming years, he could see himself replaced by an upcoming Cobham gem.
The Cobham gem who could eventually replace Lavia
While the results for the senior side have been frustratingly inconsistent, the good news for Chelsea is that they have several exciting prospects coming through the academy at the moment.
In The Pipeline
The likes of Chizaram Ezenwata, Shim Mheuka and Reggie Walsh could all make as first team regulars in a few years.
However, when it comes to a potential Lavia replacement, it’s hard to look past Reggie Watson.
The hugely exciting talent may still be just 15 years old, but is already making waves in the academy and could become a part of the first team squad a few years from now.
The up-and-coming ace has demonstrated an ability to play in several different positions, from central midfield to centre-back, but, like the Belgian, is primarily a defensive midfielder.
According to one analyst, the “excellent” prospect has several key strengths which could make him an ideal long-term six for Marseca, such as being an “excellent ball retriever,” having “good passing and vision”, and having a knack for “dictating the tempo of the game.”
As if that wasn’t enough, the youngster is also “physically strong” for someone his age, and with all that in mind, it’s easy to see why he’s been described as being “so complete.”
Finally, on top of doing the business for the Blues’ youth sides, the teenager has also won six caps for England’s U16s, in which he’s scored three goals, primarily from defensive midfield.
Ultimately, it will be a few years yet until Watson is playing for the first team, but if Lavia remains injury-prone at that time, the Belgian could find himself replaced by the youngster.
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