Chelsea star admits he wants to 'change the narrative' after disaster €62m transfer

Chelsea star insists he wants to 'change the narrative' after disaster €62m transfer Make us your Google favourite Romeo Lavia has admitted that he ‘wanted to change the narrative’ after finally finding fitness at Chelsea after years of injury and fitness issues. Lavia signed for Chelsea in 2023 for €62 million but the 22-year-old had only made 29 Premier League appearances in three years prior to this season and still has not completed a full official 90 minutes for the Blues and was deemed a 'flop' by many observers. However, since the arrival of new manager Xabi Alonso in the summer, Lavia has started all four Premier League matches for Chelsea and is 60 minutes away from his best run of gametime without injuries including pre-season, which currently stands at 518 minutes. Alonso previously spoke about Lavia having a ‘mental block’ about playing 90 minutes and the club have been working to increase his workload, which culminated in him scoring his first goal for the club in the 4-3 win over Brighton in August. "I've learned you can always go further than you think you can. You can always push your limits, especially when you feel like everything is going against you," he told the broadcaster . "It was just a moment where I felt free," he said of his goal. "It feels like all the work that you're putting in, you gain the reward of it, so it was a very emotional moment. I wanted to change the narrative. My first Premier League goal was against Chelsea [for Southampton in 2022], so I always felt like it was a bit strange.” Romeo Lavia is finally shaking off injury woes to solve Chelsea’s midfield problems Lavia has been relied on to be a key figure in Chelsea’s midfield after the departure of Enzo Fernandez on transfer deadline day and the subsequent failure to sign a replacement, as well as due to Moises Caicedo ’s injury. The Belgian has formed a partnership with captain Reece James in the heart of midfield, although he has yet to play more than 70 minutes in a match this season, with staff still managing to ensure they don’t lose more depth in the middle of the park. Since his signing, Lavia had missed 85 Premier League matches for Chelsea, having featured just once in his debut season, but the youngster has been injury free throughout pre-season and has credited the work of everyone around him. "It's always easy to think about giving up, or to feel that whatever you do will take you back to the same point where you started,” Lavia said. “But luckily, with the help of team-mates, staff, everyone at the club and people close to me outside football, we've been able to create a sort of bubble where you concentrate only on what you can control."