Liverpool agreed a £60 million deal with Southampton to sign Belgium international midfielder Romeo Lavia back in August, but the 19-year-old opted to join Chelsea instead.
SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND – AUGUST 04: Romeo Lavia of Southampton looks on during his warm up prior to the Sky Bet Championship match between Sheffield Wednesday and Southampton FC at Hillsborough on August 04, 2023 in Sheffield, England. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)
The Reds moved on and signed Wataru Endo from Stuttgart and Ryan Gravenberch from Bayern Munich, and while the duo are slowly establishing themselves as key players for the Merseyside club, Lavia is yet to make his Chelsea blow.
According to the Daily Mail, the former Saints star will be out until next month with an ankle injury and may not make his Blues debut until December.
Liverpool saw missing out on Lavia as a huge transfer blow at the time as Chelsea had also pipped them to the services of
Moises Caicedo just days earlier after they had agreed a £110m deal to sign the Ecuador international midfielder from Brighton & Hove Albion.
However, it is safe to say that the disappointment has turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the Reds, with the Blues now likely ruing their decision to sign the Belgian.
Lavia will return to action in the coming weeks but has not been available when Chelsea need him most, and his return has been delayed due to the injury blow in which he suffered some ligament damage.
On the other hand, both Wataru and Gravenberch have made nine Premier League appearances in between them as Liverpool look to challenge for a top-four finish and major honours this term.
Lavia can still turn out to be a perfect signing for the struggling Stamford Bridge club going forward, but they most likely wish they signed someone else right now given their underwhelming start to 2023-24.
Liverpool would have been in their shoes right now had the former Southampton man joined them, and being without such a player at the moment would not have done their campaign any good.