Chelsea learn extent of latest Romeo Lavia setback after midfielder's injury record leaves Enzo Maresca feeling 'ashamed'

Chelsea will have to cope without Lavia for another month following his latest injury setback, according toBBC Sport. The midfielder will therefore miss games against Burnley, Arsenal, Leeds and Bournemouth in the Premier League. He's also expected to sit out the Champions League fixtures against Barcelona and Atalanta due to the quadricep problem. Lavia has been plagued by injury issues since joining the club in a £58 million transfer and those struggles have continued into the current campaign. He has made just seven appearances for the Blues so far this season, and fans will now have to wait until December to see him back in action for Maresca's side.

Lavia has made only 29 appearances in total over two years with Chelsea, leaving Maresca to admit the club are "ashamed" by his frequent injuries. "We feel very ashamed, especially for him, because he's not able to be fit for a long, long period," Maresca said after Chelsea's clash with Qarabag. "It's not a recurrence of his hamstring problem; it looks like a quad injury. We'll need to assess him further, but it doesn't look good."

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Lavia's injury record at Chelsea does make for dismal reading. The midfielder has sustained 10 injuries and been out for a total of 568 days, missing 88 games, since Chelsea invested heavily to bring him in from Southampton back in 2023. Rather incredibly, Lavia is still yet to complete a full 90 minutes for Chelsea and his latest injury is yet another in a long list of setbacks for the 21-year-old. Chelsea have reportedly tried to manage his workload in a bid to get him fit and featuring on a regular basis but even that does not appear to have worked, with Lavia once again on the sidelines at Stamford Bridge.

Lavia has previously spoken about the injuries he's had to contend with at Chelsea and has been unable to put his finger on the problem. He told The Athletic: "You're young and you want to play. You're getting to know your body as well, which is sometimes unfair because you feel like you’re doing everything right to get back but then nature sometimes decides in a different way. It was just about understanding that and growing as a person. It was frustrating but it was more in the head, and now it has helped me. Injuries can happen. I'd say that it was unlucky and I tried to catch up every time. My body let me down a couple of times because I felt like I was doing everything right. I wouldn't blame anything."

Lavia is not the only Chelsea star to have been plagued by injuries. Reece James has also struggled in recent seasons but does appear to have put his injury problems behind him and the Blues will be hoping they can find a solution to Lavia's ongoing fitness struggles.

In the meantime, Maresca's side will continue without Lavia and face some crucial fixtures after the November international break. The Blues head to Turf Moor first to take on Burnley and then face a blockbuster clash with Barcelona in the Champions League at Stamford Bridge. Just five days later then Blues then play host to Arsenal in a monster Premier League fixture.

Chelsea talisman Cole Palmer is another player who has been forced onto the sidelines through injury this season, but the current hope is that he will be back in time for both of those fixtures in what would be a huge boost for Maresca and his men.