Chelsea felt highly motivated to start the new season after engraving their name on the Club World Cup trophy. Though they have actively signed talents from around the globe, injuries to key players appear to have halted their aspirations of challenging for the Premier League title.
Quite an unfortunate situation has arisen early on in the season for them. Despite spending huge amounts of money to strengthen their attacking lineup, Enzo Maresca still seems unable to find the quality needed for Chelsea to make a better start in the Premier League campaign.
The need for signing new players still remains due to recurring injuries. Meanwhile, a ray of hope has emerged in this situation, as Maresca has offered some positive news about Benoit Badiashile and Romeo Lavia joining the squad in the near future after taking part in recent practice sessions.
Ahead of the match against Lincoln City in the League Cup, Maresca said: “[Benoit and Romeo] will not be back for this game, unfortunately. They both took part in the session yesterday, which is good news, and hopefully they can be available soon.”
Badiashile and Lavia Edge Closer to Chelsea Return
There is hope for Badiashile to make a return soon, after he has missed every match of the season so far, with his last appearance coming in June against Benfica in the Club World Cup. Since then, he has been sidelined due to a muscle injury.
On the other hand, Lavia has not been available on a consistent basis since his arrival from Southampton two years ago. Having appeared in only 23 matches since then, he has not been able to prove his worth due to constant fitness issues.
The return of Badiashile could bring another option in the backline alongside Tosin Adarabioyo and Trevoh Chalobah. Meanwhile, Lavia still has to prove himself this season, but he possesses undeniable talent. If he can maintain his fitness, he might be in contention to start for Chelsea.
Neither of them is going to be available for the game against Lincoln City. Fortunately, both seem to be edging closer to availability and should be back on the pitch soon.