Chelsea have been buying players in this transfer market as if they are on FIFA’s career mode, but this might be one of the best signings they have made in a long time.
Following the major clear out of players that took place including the likes of Edouard Mendy, Christian Pulisic, Mateo Kovacic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek, the Blues have managed to snatch Belgian starlet, Romeo Lavia from Southampton for a fee of 60 million Pounds, including addons.
The transfer however came with its own saga as Liverpool were deeply interested and invested in the 19-year-old but Chelsea managed to swoop in and secure the signing of the defensive midfielder.
Now, lets talk about Lavia as an asset in FPL, this isn’t the first time the Belgian will feature in the fantasy game, as he did so in the two years he was playing for Manchester City and Southampton in the Premier League, despite not making a single appearance for City.
In the 22/23 FPL season, played 29 out of a possible 38 games in the league, in which he started in 26 of them.
He managed to score a single goal and provide zero assists. In the game however, he managed to score 57 points in 22/23 season, paying for the Saints and managed to be a part of 4 clean sheets for them.
Southampton had an overall disappointing season as they finished at the bottom of the table, relegating themselves to the Championship
Lavia his price bumped up from 4.5 to 5.0 in this edition of the FPL. While Lavia is a great young midfielder that can prove to be a diamond in the rough for Chelsea in years to come, in FPL it would be the smarter decision to not include him in your squad and there are plenty of reasons for it.
2 Reasons Why Choosing Romeo Lavia for Your FPL Squad Could Backfire
First of which is that Lavia plays as a defensive midfielder, and the issue with them is that as much as they are important to your team in real life as they usually tuck between center backs and are the catalyst of your teams that provide defensive cover and linkage, they aren’t awarded the crucial 4 points in FPL, if your team manages to even keep a clean sheet.
They receive only a single point which is equal to a winger or a CAM that rarely ever helps out in defensive duties.
Next is minutes, while Lavia was the shining light in quite a dull and misery filled season for Southampton, Chelsea have bought the Belgian not as a quick fix but as a player they would like to develop and grow into the role of their defensive midfielder.
Lavia faces major competition in World cup winner, Enzo Fernandez, who showcased why Chelsea paid over 100 million pounds for him. That is not the end of Romeo’s competition as Chelsea have also secured a 100 million midfielder this summer, in Moises Caicedo, who has been one of the most consistent performers in the league and the South American pair is most likely to start above the 19-year-old Belgian, for Maurizio Pochettino, and even if he does it is quite unlikely he comes back with any major returns.