Chelsea: Enzo Maresca confirms fresh blows for Wesley Fofana and Romeo Lavia as injury struggles continue

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·4 April 2025

Chelsea: Enzo Maresca confirms fresh blows for Wesley Fofana and Romeo Lavia as injury struggles continue

Chelsea pair picked up issues in training ahead of Spurs match and now face further spells out

Another setback: Wesley Fofana has suffered a muscle injury

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Wesley Fofana and Romeo Lavia have been ruled out of Chelsea’s trip to Brentford this weekend, with Enzo Maresca unsure when the injury-prone duo will return.

Lavia and Fofana both missed Thursday night’s victory over Tottenham after picking up muscle issues in training in the lead up to the game.

Both players had been regular starters for Maresca in the first half of the season but have seen their campaigns heavily disrupted since, with Fofana spending almost three months out with a hamstring injury and Lavia restricted to just two league appearances since mid-December because of a number of issues.

“[Fofana had] a muscle problem a few days ago and we are waiting for more checks,” Maresca said.

“[Lavia] for Sunday is out. We don’t know [about a timeline] yet. Romeo looks a little bit better injury compared to Wes, in terms of Romeo will probably be back more quickly than Wes.”

The setbacks are the latest concerns for two talented young players whose short careers have been blighted by serious injuries.

Fofana missed the entirety of last season after tearing his ACL and also suffered an horrific leg break during his time at Leicester.

Romeo Lavia has made two league appearances since mid-December

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Lavia, meanwhile, made only one league appearance during his first season at Chelsea and has seen several comebacks this term stall.

“If you compare Romeo’s games to last season, he already improved - it was difficult to go the other way!” Maresca said.

“But the target with Romeo is just to try to keep him fit as much as we can. Next year, play more games than this season.

“We are trying to do the same with Reece James. Reece was on the bench [against Tottenham]. Reece is one of our best players, so why was he on the bench? It’s because we try to take care of him. We know in this moment he can’t play every three days.

“Hopefully, soon he can but the main target with him, with Romeo, with Wes, is to keep them fit because we know how important they are for us.”

Despite missing the pair, Maresca has backed his Chelsea side to stand up to Brentford’s physical challenge as they seek a first away win in the league in four months.

“If I’m not wrong, I think in the first game at home they were both injured,” he added. “Even in the first game they were not here and we dealt with it quite well, knowing that, for sure, they are physically strong. We’ll try to do our best.”