Romeo Lavia was absent from Chelsea's pre-season friendly against Western Sydney Wanderers due to a new hamstring problem, manager Xabi Alonso confirmed. The midfielder, who joined from Southampton in 2023, has endured persistent fitness issues and is yet to complete a full 90 minutes for the club.
Hamstring issue rules Lavia out
Alonso revealed that Lavia “felt something in his hamstring” during training, leading to a cautious decision to leave him out of Tuesday's match at the Accor Stadium. The Belgian's injury record limited him to just 21 appearances last season. The club hopes he can recover in time for Saturday's clash with Tottenham, though his availability remains uncertain.
Other absentees explained
Three other players were also missing from Chelsea's squad. Goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen was en route to Europe to finalise a transfer to sister club Strasbourg. Defenders Jorrel Hato and Mamadou Sarr were ruled out due to a lack of match fitness. Chelsea emerged from the match, a 6-4 win, without any fresh injury concerns despite the poor pitch conditions.
