Southampton are still laughing to the bank from £53m windfall - Chelsea pain is continuing | OneFootball

Southampton cashed in at the perfect time for Chelsea's Romeo Lavia who has been plagued with injury niggles at Stamford Bridge

After being riddled with injuries ever since joining Chelsea, Southampton continue to get the better end of the £53m deal for the young Belgian midfielder Romeo Lavia.

Despite only being at St. Mary's for one season, the impact that Romeo Lavia had on the Saints was huge, and fans could see the player that he was going to become as highlighted by his price tag.

Arriving from Manchester City as an 18-year-old for a fee of £10.5 million, rising to £14 million, on the face of it, his signing came as a risk for a teenager who had next to no professional footballing experience, let alone in the top-flight of English football. However, the young Belgian took to the Premier League like a duck to water for the Saints as he made 29 league appearances in his debut season, which caught the eye of many top clubs, including Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool.

After an array of English giants queuing up for his signature, the project at Chelsea was most appealing to the now-21-year-old, as the West London club came in with a deal worth £53 million the following summer, with Southampton making a hefty profit through a fantastic piece of business.

Injury woes the story of Romeo Lavia's Chelsea career so far after Southampton exit

After becoming an ever-present figure in Southampton's midfield throughout the 2022/23 season, despite Lavia's best efforts, he was unable to keep his side from facing the drop back down to the Championship. The Belgian quickly fell into the bracket of players that, despite his young age, was too good to be playing in the second tier after such an impressive Premier League season.

Chelsea were the club that secured the midfielder's services, adding to the plethora of midfield options that they already had, including spending north of £100m on the well-renowned Moises Caicedo from Brighton in the same transfer window.

However, Lavia's start to life in a Chelsea shirt was not what he would've hoped for, and has continued in the same vein ever since his arrival at Stamford Bridge. Despite having a youthful and athletic nature, he has unfortunately been riddled with injuries which led to him merely making one league appearance in his first season with the Blues.

The following year was an improvement in terms of minutes for the Belgian international as he went onto make 16 appearances in the league, but again, it is nowhere near what you'd want or expect from a player that Chelsea paid a pretty penny for from the Saints.

Fast-forward to now, and Lavia is a player very much on the fringes with the likelihood of replacing Chelsea's £100m duo of Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez seeming a difficult task, especially with game time coming at a premium over the past two seasons.

Lavia has been used in a substitute capacity by manager Enzo Maresca so far this season and has looked promising in those cameos, but the ex-Manchester City prodigy is now set for more time out of action.

It was revealed by BBC Sport that the midfielder, who won one cap for Belgium, is set to be sidelined for a month with a quadriceps injury, adding to his long list of fitness issues throughout his time in West London. You can't help but feel sorry for the young man who looked set to have an outstanding career at the top level, and still might, but after coming off only eight minutes into the 2-2 Champions League draw at Qarabag last week, Lavia just cannot catch a break.

Southampton thankful for cashing in for £53m when they did for Romeo Lavia

During his Southampton playing days, the 21-year-old provided one goal and one assist across 34 appearances during his time on the south coast, and his performances were one of the few positives in the season that saw the club's 11-year stay in the top flight come to an end.

Known for his composure and calmness on the ball, Lavia's strength combined with his tall stature in midfield made him a huge presence for the Saints that caught the eye, as the rest of the side struggled under the guidance of Ralph Hasenhüttl, Nathan Jones and Ruben Selles.

It was always unlikely that Saints would be able to keep Lavia on their books after facing relegation. However, the following business proved fantastic for the club as they held out for their high valuation of the midfielder. That major injection of cash was key to Southampton's rebound to the Premier League, which, again, they didn't have enough in their ranks to cement their place for the following season.

Although it's clear to see the talents he possesses, as his time with Chelsea has played out, it's fair to say that the Blues once again overpaid for Lavia which has been a common theme in their recent transfer market adventures, resulting in the Saints getting the better end of the deal.

All in all, Saints fans will forever hold the young Belgian in their hearts for going onto bigger and better things. However, for a player with just one season of professional football under his belt at the time, the Saints hit the jackpot with Romeo Lavia due to the big profit margin they gained on his sale and how much Chelsea may now regret that outlay.