Chelsea’s injury problems have worsened following the international break.
New manager Mauricio Pochettino has endured an underwhelming start to life back in the Premier League, recording just one win in five games having overseen another frustrating display on Sunday in a 0-0 draw at Bournemouth.
While the club have again spent remarkable amounts of money, the number of players sidelined is now in double figures with Moises Caicedo the latest name crocked after the international break.
Here’s a look at the latest Chelsea injuries…
Moises Caicedo
Mauricio Pochettino stated in his pre-match conference latest week that Caicedo was a slight doubt to face Bournemouth having returned late from international duty with Ecuador, but missed out completely on Sunday.
“Moises Caicedo arrived back from international duty with a knock in his knee,” the Chelsea boss confirmed ahead of kick-off at the Vitality Stadium.
“We need to assess him in the next few days but he wasn’t available for today, that’s why he not here.”
Chelsea hope the issue is not a serious one, with it reported that Caicedo is expected to be back for next weekend’s home match against Aston Villa.
Potential return date: Sunday, September 24, 2023 vs Aston Villa
Noni Madueke
Noni Madueke was a surprise absentee for the Bournemouth game, having picked up an injury while with England Under21s during the international break.
The club are not concerned by the problem and hope the youngster is able to feature again before the end of the month.
"Noni came from the national team with a muscle problem."
Potential return date: Sunday, September 24, 2023 vs Aston Villa
Reece James
The club captain has not played since the opening weekend of the season and the club had been eager to point out that he would only miss a few weeks of action following his hamstring injury picked up against Liverpool.
There was hope the defender will be back in action after the first international break, but Pochettino has now pushed that back until after the next international break in October.
”He's recovering well, Pochettino said last week. “I don't know if he's close or not because we assess him every single day but he's started to do things on the pitch with the ball. He's really well. He's desperate to play for the team. Yes, I hope it's close, also so he can be available before the next international break."
Potential return date: Saturday, October 21, 2023 vs Arsenal
Romeo Lavia
Summer signing Lavia was not up to speed to get going right away and Standard Sport understands that an agreement was made with the Belgium national team not to call him up for their games during the break.
Unfortunately, Lavia suffered a setback during the international break and could face another month on the sidelines as the wait for his debut continues.
What Pochettino has said: "We are really disappointed because he was training really well last week in the international break. He twisted his ankle and now we are waiting for the results on Monday from the doctor. We hope it's not a big issue but in the last week he has not been training with the team.
"It's a sad situation because he was nearly fit to be involved again with the team. Yes, now we need to wait and hopefully it's not a big issue for him and the team of course.
"We don't know [when he'll be back] because we need to assess him. He twisted his ankle and now we need to assess him. We do not know the time for him to recover."
Potential return date: Saturday, October 21, 2023 vs Arsenal
Armando Broja
The president of the Albanian FA said Broja could make his return from a long-term knee injury against Bournemouth this week, but Pochettino denied that was the case and, indeed, Broja was absent from the squad on Sunday.
Pochettino said: “Who said that [he could feature on the bench this weekend to face Bournemouth]? Who is the Albanian FA? The coach? The president? I didn’t hear. It’s not [true]. Not yet.”
Potential return date: Sunday, September 24, 2023 vs Aston Villa
Benoit Badiashile
The defender is back in training following a hamstring injury suffered before a ball was kicked in pre-season.
While that is a boost, the nature of that problem surely means Badiashile won’t be rushed back.
Potential return date: October 2023
Carney Chukwuemeka
The youngster was a regular presence in the starting eleven at the start of the season but picked up a knee injury that required surgery shortly after scoring his first Blues goal against West Ham last month.
He is now expected to be out of action until at least October.
Potential return date: October 2023
Trevoh Chalobah
There has been little clarification on Chalobah’s recovery from a hamstring injury other than the Blues describing him as “continuing to undergo rehabilitation programmes”.
Even when fit, the academy graduate seems unlikely to feature in the first-team on a regular basis.
Potential return date: October 2023
Christopher Nkunku
It will be fascinating to see what Nkunku’s arrival does to this Chelsea team, albeit that might be a while off yet.
The Frenchman had to have surgery on a knee problem suffered in pre-season and, before the loss to Nottingham Forest, Chelsea stated he was still in the “early stages” of his recovery.
A potential return after in December looks the most likely outcome at this stage, though that could be pushed back until January given the hectic festive schedule
Potential return date: December 2023
Wesley Fofana
It seems unlikely £75m defender Wesley Fofana will play at all this season after an ACL injury.
