Chelsea's forgotten men Christopher Nkunku & Romeo Lavia proving they can be game-changers under Enzo Maresca after double injury nightmare

Two of the headline names in a blockbuster 2023 summer transfer window for Chelsea, last season was effectively a write-off for new arrivals Nkunku and Lavia amid the Blues' crippling injury woes.

It is almost a year to the day since the former damaged knee ligaments on a poor playing surface in Chicago during a friendly against Borussia Dortmund on the Blues' previous US tour. The Frenchman was forced to undergo surgery, which effectively sidelined him for the first half of the campaign.

Nkunku scored on his long-awaited Premier League debut against Wolves and played a bit-part role as he was eased back in, but just two months later a hamstring injury disrupted his rehabilitation. He finished the season having seen just 516 minutes of action (fewer than six 90-minute matches), although he still managed to score three goals in that limited time.

Lavia's season was somehow even more frustrating; the £58m ($67m) signing from Southampton arrived with a muscle issue before injuring ankle ligaments in training in September last year. He returned in late December, but in a cruel twist he suffered a serious, complex thigh injury in his 32-minute cameo against Crystal Palace. Three months later, Chelsea revealed the 20-year-old - who played the most minutes of any Premier League player aged 20 or under the previous year - had suffered a setback in his latest recovery and his season was over.

Chelsea will be hoping and praying things are different this time around, with Nkunku and Lavia's absences arguably most keenly felt amid their raft of injuries last season, as they continued to lack a clinical finisher and were left desperately short of options in midfield.

When fit, Nkunku has looked deadly in attack - reflected in that goals-to-minutes ratio - and he has picked up where he left off in pre-season. The 26-year-old has found the net in each of the Blues' three pre-season friendlies so far, albeit two of those were from the penalty spot. But the most eye-catching aspect of his performances is just how refreshed and sharp he looks.

That was perhaps best reflected in his incredible, slaloming run into the penalty area to win a spot-kick against Club America in Atlanta on Wednesday night. Picking the ball up in the left half-space, the attacker drove inside, expertly evaded three defenders with a croqueta, outpaced one last man and drew a clumsy challenge from the goalkeeper.

Of course, after the stop-start, injury-hit season he endured in 2023-24, it's easy to forget that this is a man who made 126 goal contributions in just 172 appearances during his time with RB Leipzig. If he can stay fit this time, he has the potential to be a lethal weapon for Maresca.

Maresca, for one, is relishing seeing Nkunku in action when the season proper gets underway, with the France international fitting his preference for versatile players who are capable of fulfilling a variety of roles. The Italian went as far as to describe him as the 'ideal' player for his system.

"I know Christo from years ago," said Maresca after the win over Club America. "I loved him before I joined this club. In the way we want to play, he is the ideal player. He can play in the pocket, in the nine, on the wing. At this moment we are using him in the pocket and he is doing very well.

"The reason he is playing every game is because we know he is coming back from injuries and needs minutes. He is doing very well and also game after game he is getting better."

Lavia was Nkunku's co-star against the Mexican giants, as he continues to build up his match sharpness after that lost season. The Belgian has started every game of Chelsea's pre-season tour so far and seems to be getting close to the player Chelsea shelled out £58m to sign last year, oozing the confidence you would expect of a player moulded in the famed Anderlecht and Manchester City academies.

His own driving run earned the Blues an early penalty as he worked hard to retrieve possession on the right flank and bombed into the penalty area, encouraging a poor tackle from a defender. Elsewhere, he was assured in possession, playing on the half-turn and looking to progress the play. One pass on the half-volley into the left channel was particularly eye-catching, as Raheem Sterling created a chance from the wide area.

After he mustered just half an hour of football last season, this was a timely reminder that he is an accomplished midfield operator who finished in the top 15 players in the whole league for ball recoveries per 90 minutes and made more tackles than any other teenager (53) in 2022-23 at Southampton. Of central midfielders aged 22 or under, he ranked third for interceptions behind only now-team-mate Moises Caicedo and Everton's Amadou Onana.

Maresca is certainly happy to have him at his disposal, saying of the youngster and team-mate Wesley Fofana: "Both of them are very important. In this moment it is very important for them to get minutes and not lose any training sessions. I am especially happy for them because for one year without any minutes, it is difficult for them mentally so they need to now boost their energy and 45 minutes will help both of them. Hopefully we can soon have them both 100 per cent fit and they can start to play 90 minutes."

Maresca will know better than most just how good Lavia can be, and their shared history means he stands a good chance of becoming a key player amid a plethora of midfield options at Stamford Bridge.

The head coach worked with the player when he was in charge of Man City's Under-23s; Lavia arrived in 2020 and would go on to become a key part of Maresca's elite development squad aged just 16, when he had been expected to play for the Under-18s. A group including now-Chelsea talisman Cole Palmer would go on to win the Premier League 2 that year.

Speaking to GOAL in 2021, Lavia said: "I really enjoy recovering the ball and pass through the lines. Enzo's helped me a lot with that, always being on the half-turn so I can see the game going forward, so it's not a problem now. I know that I’ve got my qualities, but if I do something wrong they help me."

Indeed, the Italian tactician must be thrilled to be reunited with a midfielder who has such high potential. However, a return to form and fitness provides him with a selection headache; Chelsea have Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Lesley Ugochukwu and Conor Gallagher competing for places in the middle of the park, although it seems the club is trying to shift the latter amid interest from Atletico Madrid. Strength in depth is an advantage, but there will be some big calls to me made with Enzo and Caicedo surely guaranteed starters.

Never has the tired old adage 'they'll feel like a new signing' been more appropriate than in the cases of Nkunku and Lavia, and their respective returns will likely dissuade Chelsea from pursuing a new central forward or another midfielder this summer. Both will doubtless be champing at the bit to make up for lost time.

Indeed, Nkunku's renowned ability as a second striker meant the club did not pursue an elite No.9 last year, and given his output so far in pre-season it feels unlikely that stance has changed. The prospect of him working in tandem with Palmer, who amassed 42 goal contributions himself last season, is mouth-watering.

In midfield, Lavia's return provides depth and tactical fluidity in an area where there was very little flexibility last season. The Belgium international could form a formidable defensive midfield partnership with Caicedo at the base of Maresca's adaptable 4-3-3 shape, pushing higher in possession when it becomes a 3-2-4-1 in possession, or he could be used as the kind of high-quality rotation option Chelsea dearly lacked last season.

Of course, so much will depend on both players staying fit, but they have shown in pre-season that they can be fundamental to the way Chelsea play next season, and it is clear that they have the faith of the head coach already. Their form points to a brighter season both individually and collectively at Stamford Bridge.