"We are really disappointed" - Mauricio Pochettino laments injury picked up by Chelsea star who was 'training really well'
Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has provided an update on summer signing Romeo Lavia's fitness ahead of their clash at Bournemouth on Sunday, September 17.
The Blues beat Liverpool to sign Lavia in the summer for £58 million as he signed a seven-year deal with the club. The Belgian midfielder joined the likes of Moises Caicedo and Robert Sanchez in moving to Stamford Bridge this summer. However, Lavia has yet to make his debut for the club.
In a pre-match press conference ahead of Chelsea's Premier League clash against Bournemouth, Pochettino provided an update on Lavia, saying (via Football.London)
"I think we are really disappointed because he was training really well. He twisted his ankle and now we are waiting for Monday to get the assessment from the doctor."
Lavia, 19, came through Manchester City's youth setup before joining Southampton last summer. Despite the Saints getting relegated, the youngster impressed in his 34 appearances across competitions, registering one goal and one assist.
Lavia will, however, have to wait to make his debut for the Blues, who are currently struggling under Mauricio Pochettino. Despite playing some good attacking football, their failure to convert chances has seen Chelsea win just one out of four games this season.
They beat Luton Town at home but drew against Liverpool and lost to West Ham United and Nottingham Forest.
Chelsea manager backs Nicolas Jackson to come good with time
The Blues scored only 38 goals in 38 Premier League games last season, with Kai Havertz being their top scorer with seven goals in 35 appearances.
Chelsea then spent €35 million to bring in Nicolas Jackson from Villarreal in the summer. He scored 12 goals in 26 La Liga appearances last season but has failed to replicate his form for the Blues, scoring just once in five matches across competitions.
Reflecting on Jackson's performance in their 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest, Mauricio Pochettino admitted that the striker should've scored but called for more patience. He said (via Football.London):
"For me, the performance was good, only that he didn't score. As a striker you need to score or assist but we need to think that Jackson came from Spain, he's young, he needs to build his confidence and trust. He needs to adapt to the Premier League."
He added:
"It's only a matter of time but he's doing a fantastic job for the team. He needs to be more clinical in front of goal but I think that is going to happen. No doubt he is a fantastic player."
Currently, Raheem Sterling leads Chelsea's goalscoring charts for this season with two goals in four games.