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Chelsea's latest midfield addition Romeo Lavia has outlined why he chose to join the London giants.
The Blues announced Lavia as their latest signing in another spend-heavy transfer window on Friday, August 18. The Belgian arrives from Southampton on a deal worth up to £58 million.
In his first interview since the move, he was asked why he chose the Premier League giants, to which he replied (via @FabrizioRomano on X):
“My feeling is that the project, the ambition and the history were key factors. These three factors were determining my decision to join Chelsea.”
Mauricio Pochettino's side have finally addressed the lack of depth in their midfield with the signing of Romeo Lavia. He joins a young engine room that includes FIFA World Cup winner Enzo Fernandez and record signing Moises Caicedo, who arrived only last week. Conor Gallagher and Carney Chukwuemeka are their other options.
Chelsea notably beat Liverpool to win Lavia's signature. The Reds were interested in the 19-year-old for a few weeks, even seeing a couple of bids for him rejected by Southampton. The Blues then joined the fray, eventually landing the midfielder with a convincing offer that met the Saints' valuation.
Romeo Lavia arrives at Chelsea after an impressive season for Southampton
Given the fee Chelsea have paid for Romeo Lavia, some might find it hard to believe that he has just one senior season under his belt. He had joined Southampton's senior team from Manchester City's U23 side only before the start of the 2022-23 campaign.
Lavia went on to play 29 Premier League matches last season, missing nine games with a hamstring injury. The Saints won just one of those matches, drawing twice and suffering six losses.
Across those 29 appearances, the Belgian scored once while averaging 0.6 key passes, 1.1 interceptions, 2.1 tackles and 4.9 duels won per game. He also completed 86% of his total passes, including 84% of his passes in the opposition half.
Lavia began his career with RSC Anderlecht's youth set-up before joining Manchester City's U18 team in 2020.
