Chelsea midfielder Romeo Lavia returned to action in the 2-2 draw against Wrexham on Wednesday night.
The Belgian had a nightmare first year with the Blues, having made just one appearance after his £58m move from Southampton due to injury. After watching his performance in the first 45 minutes versus Wrexham yesterday, fans on X believe they have a real gem on their hands:
Baller, he feels like a brand new signing
— Emmerson (@EmmaPhilipo03) July 25, 2024
So glad he gets to work with Maresca again
— Will (@willreyner) July 25, 2024
Very talented
— Jitendra Gurjar (@Jitendr58087832) July 25, 2024
People really said he wasn’t worth £58m 😭😭😭
— Ben (@HowUBenFeller) July 25, 2024
This brother already cooking, feels so new
— 𝕭𝖎𝖊𝖌 𝕳𝖚𝖓𝖈𝖍𝖔🪐 (@BiegHuncho) July 25, 2024
So exciting to watch tbh!😇
— Qing🧘🏼♂️🤍 (@Qing_Malidosky) July 25, 2024
Absolute baller
— no one (@noneb2real) July 25, 2024
It was a solid display from Lavia
The 20-year-old looked decent in possession and he also showed his anticipation by intercepting the ball on several occasions.
Of course, you would hope that there is more to come from Lavia. He’s had to overcome some major setbacks since joining Chelsea and he will be keen to make up for lost time.
Maresca has work to do to get this Chelsea squad in shape
A draw against third-tier opposition is not an ideal way to start pre-season. However, manager Enzo Maresca has to be given leeway so he can implement his philosophy.
You can’t transform a team overnight, but it’s clear that he has a set way of playing, and he will need players (like Lavia) to take his ideas on board and believe in what he is doing. There will undoubtedly be some bumps along the road but every fan is hoping the club is moving in the right direction under the new head coach.
Find out who is in Chelsea’s first-team squad for 2024/2025 season here
