‘Ban him’ – Chelsea fans furious with new Romeo Lavia footage, fresh injury fears emerge
Romeo Lavia will jumping at the bit to return fully to the Chelsea first team after getting injured again back in November.
The 22-year-old midfielder has missed an eye-watering amount of football since the Blues splashed £58million on him in the summer of 2023, saving Liverpool from a major headache.
Since then, Lavia has made just 30 senior appearances, leading to calls for the Belgian international to be sold, given the amount of time and money spent on him at Stamford Bridge.
Understandably, fans are frustrated with his constant injury problems. And after watching Chelsea‘s 2-2 draw with Leeds United Under-21s on Friday, 20 February, that rage has only grown.
Romeo Lavia on the end of a rough tackle in academy game
Just 36 minutes into the academy game, Oliver Pickles picked up a yellow card for a reckless challenge on Lavia, leaving him hurt on the floor, forcing the referee to stop the game.
With the midfielder being hooked at the half-time break, which was likely a pre-planned substitution, some fans are worried that he has once again picked up a new injury.
Fans took to social media to threaten the Leeds youngster, with multiple wanting Pickles banned after the crunching challenge on their midfielder, who has rarely featured for the first team.
- @AUSTINHONEY88: “This Leeds u21 want to send Romeo Lavia back to hospital.”
- @CrisElev1n: “Bro, don’t do this to me, I just opened the app.”
- @asap_rivers10: “RED ITS A RED BAN HIM FROM THE SPORT HE TOUCHED MY LAMBO”
What has Liam Rosenior said about Lavia’s return to fitness?
Understandably, Liam Rosenior is being careful about reintroducing Lavia to the first-team squad, but he will take a lot of confidence from his 45 minutes against Leeds.
Last month, he said, “Romeo is an outstanding player and has the potential and ability to be a world-class midfield player when he’s back and if he stays fit. So we’re taking it really, really carefully with him.”
The new manager has yet to see anything from the midfielder, who has missed the majority of games through various injuries since joining from Southampton nearly three years ago.
Fans are under no illusion about just how good Lavia could be, having watched him during his days at St Mary’s Stadium, but his constant issues are causing far too many problems.