Romeo Lavia and Christopher Nkunku are both nearing their Chelsea debuts after exercising in advance of the Blues’ Premier League matchup against Newcastle.
Nkunku and Lavia were spotted working together at Cobham on Monday night, despite the fact that their Chelsea teammates were participating in international matches elsewhere. It increases the likelihood that one or both could play against Newcastle in light of previous reports indicating they are finally getting close to being fully healthy and making their debuts.
Nkunku ($57 million) and Lavia ($58 million), who were signed in the summer, have not yet made an appearance for Chelsea. The former had made an impression in preseason before sustaining a knee ligament damage in a friendly against Borussia Dortmund. In just the previous two seasons, he scored 58 goals for RB Leipzig. Later, the Blues defeated Liverpool to sign Lavia, although he hasn’t been able to play because of an ankle injury.
Mauricio Pochettino said prior to facing Manchester City recently: “I had a conversation with Christopher and he said to me he wanted to be involved after the international break, against Newcastle. I think he’s close and he is doing really well. We are so happy with him in the way that he is doing his recovery. He is very professional. Romeo Lavia is also close.”
Chelsea appears to be settling into a groove after a disastrous start to the season. In their last eight games across all competitions, they have only lost one and won five. They need to carry that momentum into their next four games against Newcastle, Brighton, Manchester United, Everton, and Sheffield United after pushing Manchester City to a 4–4 draw the previous time around.
