ROMEO LAVIA suffered yet another injury setback for Chelsea on Wednesday night as he limped out of their trip to Qarabag after just four minutes.
Chelsea signed the midfielder from Southampton for around £58million in 2023 but the Belgium star has been ravaged with fitness issues.
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Chelsea star Romeo Lavia came off with yet another injury setback against QarabagCredit: TNT Sports
The midfielder pulled up with a problem in the fourth minute of the Champions League clash
He missed most of the 2024-25 campaign after struggling with a severe hamstring problem.
Lavia hoped to have put his injury woes behind him after playing six times this season.
But he continues to be out of luck after pulling up in the opening minutes against Qarabag in the Champions League.
Lavia went down in the fourth minute of the game and needed medical attention, before Moises Caicedo replaced him four minutes later.
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Fans sympathised with Lavia after his latest injury episode as one rued “one of the worst records” in the game.
The supporter said: “Really feel bad for Lavia. An incredible footballer, but he has one of the worst injury records in football for a player so young. Chelsea need to start planning their squads without him.”
Another said: “Lavia may be cursed at this moment.”
And one added: “Lavia is a contender for the most injury prone footballer I’ve ever seen.”
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A third agreed it was time to think about a long-term replacement for the midfielder.
They said: “It’s harsh on Lavia but I think we need to have conversations about replacing him. He’s simply the least reliable player we’ve ever had. Such a shame.”
Lavia’s injury comes just 24 hours after his manager Enzo Maresca urged him to stay fit and follow the example of captain Reece James.
James has endured a similar spell of long-term injuries but looks to have put those issues behind him this season.
The Italian said: “The main target for Romeo now is to be fit, and to not get any injuries,’ the head coach explained.
“For me, in this moment, Romeo is where Reece was more or less a year ago, in terms of being back after a long time.
“So we need to manage him every day, every minute, every session. The target with him is to keep him fit.”
Losing Lavia was the first blow for Chelsea in the game, as they watched their first half lead through Estevao cancelled out.
The Azerbaijan outfit stunned the Blues by coming from behind to lead 2-1 thanks to Leandro Andrade and a penalty from Marko Jankovic.
