Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has endured a torrid start to his tenure as injuries and suspensions continue to mount.
Another home loss, this time at the hands of Aston Villa, saw Moises Caicedo and Armando Broja return, but both Malo Gusto and Nicolas Jackson pick up suspensions.
When it rains it certainly pours in west London as Romeo Lavia has suffered a setback on his road to recovery, but Noni Madueke is hopeful of soon being back.
Here’s a look at the latest Chelsea injuries...
Romeo Lavia
The summer signing has 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
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.
He was again absent for the loss to Aston Villa, but the club are not concerned by the problem and hope the youngster is able to feature again before the end of the month.
Potential return date: Wednesday, September 27, 2023 vs Fulham
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
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.
