After that £58 million switch to West London, there was a general consensus that the defensive midfielder, alongside Moises Caicedo, would provide essential cover for the Blues' back four for years to come.

Injuries blight Lavia's career

Unfortunately, injuries have blighted his career at the club, and his Chelsea career has only really got going recently.

That hasn't stopped other clubs from snooping around and looking at the potential opportunity to offer Lavia a new lease of life elsewhere.

Aston Villa appear very keen to take the player, and whilst there's been no word from Chelsea as to their own intentions, both clubs have done good business over the past couple of seasons.

Nicolas Jackson and Alejandro Garnacho have both moved to Villa Park, whilst Morgan Rogers and Emi Martinez have moved to the Bridge.

If Xabi Alonso isn't keen to sell Lavia outright, then perhaps a loan deal in January will suit all parties.

Loan replacement for Onana?

It would give the player a run of matches and would ease Villa's problems in that area of the pitch, with Amadou Onana not expected back until next season.

Unai Emery has generally improved most of the players under his tutelage, and given the opportunity, he's sure to do the same with Lavia; however, the Spaniard has to be mindful of the player's general lack of action.

Since signing for the Blues, he's made only 53 appearances (32 as a starter), and to give context, Caicedo has made 155 in the same time frame.

The most amount of minutes he's played in any competition for Chelsea are the 802 in the 2024/25 Premier League season, equating to just under nine full matches.

Impressive in one-on-ones

A physical player who isn't afraid to put his foot in when required, Lavia has been a solid enough presence in one-on-one duels, particularly those contested on the ground.

So far in 2026/27, for instance, he's already been involved in 44 one-on-ones in the Premier League, winning 30 of them for a hugely impressive 68.18 per cent success rate.

Though aerial duels wouldn't necessarily be his forte, he's still managed to win 24 of the 44 attempted since signing.

In fact, the only two occasions where Lavia has had a negative balance in one-on-one duels have come in the 2026/27 EFL Cup run - though one shouldn't be too hard on him given that he lost 10 but still won nine - and the 2025/26 FA Cup, where 12 of 17 were unsuccessful.

No slouch when tackling or passing

Tackling-wise, he's attempted 56, and 22 of them came in the 2024/25 Premier League campaign.

Of those, he's won 35, and in no competition that he's played in since joining the club has his percentage of success dropped below 50 per cent.

He's also won back possession on 140 separate occasions, and has lost only 21 challenges, 11 of which came during 2024/25.

In terms of his passing range, Lavia has been sensational, and that's contributed to some excellent Flashscore ratings, including an 8.6 man-of-the-match showing in a recent game versus Manchester United.

Aside from UEFA Conference League qualifying in 2024/25 when he posted a 66.67 per cent success rate, his completion stats have mainly stayed above 90 per cent.

For example, he posted a 94.58 per cent accuracy for his FIFA Club World Cup contribution, and his 92.61 per cent from last season's Premier League was only just shy of that.

Goals need to be added

If there's one area that he won't be writing home about, it's his lack of attacking prowess.

Though there's an argument that a defensive midfielder doesn't necessarily need to score goals, when Caicedo gets forward, he knows how to hit a ball.

Two fast breaks, two shots against the woodwork and eight goals would attest to that. By contrast, Lavia has just one goal since 2023, and only two shots on target.

Of course, the mitigating circumstances for any below-par showings are just how long he's been sidelined for since the move. 

Four separate thigh injuries, four unspecified injuries, a knock, an ankle problem and a general lack of match fitness have all contributed to a stop-start experience with Chelsea.

There's clearly a player crying out for some regular match time in order to show everyone what he's truly capable of, and one can't overlook how many years ahead of him he still has before he reaches his supposed peak as a player.

If Emery can persuade his countryman Alonso that a move for Lavia would be worthwhile for all concerned, the Midlanders could yet see the best version of him.