Romeo Lavia says he is 'free' and eager to 'change the narrative' after injury setbacks

Chelsea midfielder Romeo Lavia said in an interview with BBC Sport on 17 September 2026 that he is finally reaping the rewards of his hard work, feels "free" again and is determined to "change the narrative" around him, having started all four of Chelsea's Premier League matches this season.

Now 22, Lavia is on the verge of his longest uninterrupted spell in the Chelsea side and, if he completes 60 minutes, will surpass his previous best run of 518 minutes without injury, including pre-season matches. He made only one appearance in his first season at Chelsea because of a serious hamstring injury; in his second campaign he missed 33 games, down from 42 the previous season, before featuring in about half of Chelsea's matches last term, and he has remained available throughout pre-season and the opening weeks of the new campaign.

"There is so much that goes on behind the scenes," Lavia told BBC Sport, adding that he keeps a checklist to ensure he is in the best condition for any given match. "It's a big process but we're doing well at the moment."

He described overcoming the mental toll of repeated setbacks and resisting a risk-averse approach, saying manager Xabi Alonso encouraged him to get past a "mental block" of completing 90 minutes during a pre-season match against AC Milan 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 said. "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. "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."

With Reece James and Wesley Fofana having come through similar injury setbacks, Lavia has become a regular in Alonso's midfield alongside captain James, who began his career as a right-back. His importance has risen while Moises Caicedo has been limited to 14 minutes this season and Enzo Fernandez left for Manchester City in a £125m transfer on deadline day. "It's part of my game as well to take responsibility and have some character. I really like being in that position and also being at this club. Having this responsibility, it's not even pressure, it's just like privilege, so I'm actually living the dream. "This is why you've been playing and training all these years for, so just go and enjoy it," Lavia said.

Chelsea have publicly and privately backed Lavia to become a key player as the club adjusted its transfer strategy to add more experienced players, including club-record signing Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa for £117m, who featured with Lavia in Manchester City's academy. Alongside Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro, Chelsea have scored 18 goals in all competitions across six matches. "It's honestly amazing," Lavia said. "Obviously I knew Morgan, but just the way he's come in and then they've all clicked together up front. Sometimes I wish I could go in the stands and enjoy watching it. "It makes your job easier, because it's like 'you guys go and work your magic and then we do the rest'. So we're really, really happy to have them all and hopefully we can achieve great things together."

Scoring his first Chelsea goal in a 4-3 win against Brighton was an emotional moment for Lavia. "It was just a moment where I felt free," he said. "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. "I saw all my team-mates score, so I was waiting for it to be my turn and when it happened I was very, very happy and excited. I wanted to express it as much as possible with the fans and I really loved it."

He will have the chance to extend his current run of availability in Friday's match against Brentford, where completing 60 minutes would move him past his previous best injury-free total of 518 minutes, including pre-season games.