Romeo Lavia 'worries' Chelsea months after rejecting Liverpool

Chelsea are now worried about Romeo Lavia just four months after he rejected a move to Liverpool in order to join them. The midfielder is enduring a torrid time.

One of the transfer stories of the summer was Liverpool's pursuit of a defensive midfielder. For a long time, Romeo Lavia appeared to be their ultimate choice and the player they'd spend relatively big on.

However, things changed when Moisés Caicedo to Chelsea stalled. Liverpool entered with a British-record offer for the Ecuadorian, only for the Blues to match it. Caicedo ultimately decided to head to Stamford Bridge.

Liverpool then went back in for Lavia, only for Chelsea to somewhat bizarrely decide they wanted him as well. They turned his head and Lavia picked a move to London over the move to Merseyside.

Things have not gone well for the player since (or the club, for that matter). Lavia was almost immediately picked up an injury and has waited four months before making his debut for Chelsea.

That debut came on Wednesday as Chelsea beat Crystal Palace 2-1. Lavia was a second-half substitute but rather incredibly, he left the pitch with an injury.

He's now nursing an ankle injury and it's not yet clear how serious it is. Manager Mauricio Pochettino admits it's a genuine worry, though.

"I'm a little bit worried about Lavia," he said, per the Daily Mail. "He finished with some issues, but I hope it's not a big issue."

Chelsea will now hope that doesn't mean another extended spell on the sidelines but it's yet more evidence that the summer transfer window can't be judged too quickly. Liverpool left the window looking like failures as they didn't land any of their primary targets and instead gambled on Wataru Endo from Stuttgart - a player without any reputation in England.

Halfway through the season, though, and Liverpool are at the top of the Premier League and Endo is thriving. Chelsea, instead, are struggling badly to put anything together while their big summers signings have failed to steady the ship.