Chelsea's Lavia Out 1 Month with Quad Injury

Chelsea midfielder Romeo Lavia is expected to miss at least one month after suffering a quadriceps injury in the opening minutes of his team's Champions League match against Qarabag last week. The 21-year-old Belgian international was substituted after just six minutes in the 2-2 draw in Baku, Azerbaijan, with Moises Caicedo coming on in his place.

Lavia's latest setback occurred despite Chelsea's efforts to manage his workload carefully, limiting him to one match per week following an earlier injury during the Club World Cup. He had started only four games this season across all competitions and was making his first appearance in over a week. The injury adds to a pattern of fitness issues that have defined his time at the club since his £53 million transfer from Southampton in August 2023.

In two and a half seasons at Stamford Bridge, Lavia has made 30 competitive appearances but has yet to complete a full 90 minutes. He missed the opening seven matches of the current campaign due to a muscle problem and has now sat out 88 games overall for Chelsea. His first season yielded just 32 minutes of action, while last term's five muscular injuries limited him to 22 outings, totaling...