Stop us if you have heard this one before- Romeo Lavia is going to miss a Chelsea match due to injury. Yes, ahead of today’s kickoff at Wolverhampton Wanderers, first year manager Enzo Maresca indicated that Lavia has a slight hamstring issue, and that the problem would keep him out of the Sunday kickoff.
Chelsea FC at Wolverhampton Wanderers FYIs
Kick: Sun. Aug 25, 2pm, Molineux Stadium
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Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
Google Result Probability: Chelsea 55% Wolves 22% Draw 23%
PL Form, Standing: Chelsea L 17th, 0 pts, -2GD Wolves L 19th, 0 pts, -2GD
When pressed for more information on the situation, Maresca said:
“Hopefully [it is] nothing too serious.” The Belgian, who was signed last summer for a whopping £58 million from Southampton FC, missed all but one game last season.
He had a half-hour cameo against Crystal Palace in December. Lavia is obviously “injury prone” to say the least.
Also, left out of the squad today are the following three players: Carney Chukwuemeka, Ben Chilwell and Raheem Sterling.
It turns out to the entire trio could all leave before the transfer window closes in five days.
?? Apart from Lavia’s hamstring problem, Carney Chukwuemeka also not part of Chelsea squad today as he could leave the club next week.
Several clubs approached #CFC for Carney and now time to assess options.
His exit is concrete possibility; Sterling and Chilwell out as well. pic.twitter.com/YVVYO9Anbd
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 25, 2024
It was already made clear, last week that Chilwell and Sterling have no place in Maresca’s over-bloated squad. Both of those English internationals are simply not part of the plan at Chelsea.
Carney is a bit of a surprise though, as we really thought there was a place for him. Where will this troika of players end up? It’s hard to say as we haven’t really heard any specific teams being linked yet.
However, things will escalate quickly, and we’ll keep you posted on the all the latest developments.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network and the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.