Chelsea provide injury update involving Reece James and Wesley Fofana ahead of West Ham clash
Chelsea's season seems to have already been hampered, with several of Mauricio Pochettino's men getting sidelined due to injuries. The Blues have been extremely active in the market, signing players left, right and centre. Nevertheless, they have had to revise their recruitment strategy owing to the increasing number of injured players at Stamford Bridge.
While talking to the press, Pochettino recently expressed grief about newcomer Christopher Nkunku's knee injury and revealed that he'd be scouting the market for a potential replacement (source: Football.London). Chelsea came very close to signing Crystal Palace's Michael Olise, but the French wunderkind has since signed a new four-year contract with the Eagles, as confirmed by renowned sports journalist Fabrizio Romano.
In the build-up to their bout against fellow London outfit West Ham United, Chelsea have released a statement, giving updates on their injured stack of players. While the club hasn't issued a possible date of return for anyone, they have conveyed the stage of rehabilitation that each of the concerned players is, at the moment.
Youngsters Benoit Badiashile and Armando Broja are reportedly at the end stages of their recovery and can soon be seen donning the famous blue jersey. Trevoh Chalobah, who recently picked up an injury in Chelsea's pre-season, has apparently aggravated his ailment and is slated to be sidelined for longer than initially expected.
Wesley Fofana, on the other hand, is expected to miss the entire 2023-34 season owing to an ACL injury and the Blues have already signed Axel Disasi as a replacement.
The update for which the Chelsea fans had been waiting eagerly was that of recently-nominated club captain Reece James. The English international was unexpectedly substituted off in the 76th minute in Chelsea's opener against Liverpool, instigating panic among the Blue Army. The club has now confirmed their worst fears as James is starting rehabilitation and is not expected to make a swift return.
The Blues have already added Malo Gusto to their ranks, and the French prodigy is more than capable of covering for the injured James. The 20-year-old made his Premier League debut against the Reds and now has the chance to make the right-back position his own.
Chelsea have confirmed the signing of Romeo Lavia
Following a lengthy transfer saga that saw them compete with Liverpool, the Blues have come out on top, signing both Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia for a combined fee of €178m (source: Transfermarkt).
With Jurgen Klopp and Pochettino both desperate for defensive midfielders, the duo had a dramatic face-off in the transfer market for the signature of Lavia and Caicedo. Additionally, it was believed that the Reds might just be able to land Lavia after the Blues' confirmed acquisition of Caicedo.
Nevertheless, Todd Boehly's unhinged spending proved to be a little too much for Klopp, and the West London outfit now have two exciting young talents on their books.