Romeo Lavia has revealed that he chose to join Chelsea over Liverpool last summer because he saw the Blues as the club “that is growing.”
Liverpool had accepted a British record offer from Brighton & Hove Albion for Moises Caicedo, only for Chelsea to outbid them. Four days later, Lavia followed suit, choosing Chelsea after they met Southampton’s asking price.
Liverpool targeted Romeo Lavia as a replacement for Fabinho, but he experienced an injury-plagued first season at Stamford Bridge. Despite this, many expect him to become a future star. Lavia insists that even with Liverpool’s strong interest, he always had his heart set on Chelsea.
“It’s all about what you read in the media. I had to read a couple as well, and sometimes [journalists] knew more than me apparently,” the Belgian midfielder told The Athletic.
“When I heard about Chelsea, and it was from a long time ago before everything started, it was a no-brainer. Some stuff I was reading, I’m not going to say it was fake, but my decision was Chelsea… the interest from Liverpool was there, but in my head, I wanted to play for Chelsea.”
Romeo Lavia elaborated on his decision: “If you look at the teams, Chelsea is the one that is growing. Even though the results are not going like the other teams, you can see the bigger picture.
“When I saw a group of young and talented players who had been the best at their previous clubs, it can only go well. Now that I’m here, I realize it’s true.”
“We are building something amazing. Everyone at the club can feel it, not just the players. Manchester City and all the teams that have been successful needed years to achieve that. I’m not saying we need the same years, but it is not going to take two weeks. The confidence is there, and it’s about not looking at the other teams but focusing on ourselves.”
Even with the signing of Wataru Endo last summer, Liverpool is still searching for their long-term ‘number six.’ They had hoped Spain international Martin Zubimendi might fill that role. However, he has chosen to stay with Real Sociedad, despite Liverpool’s initial optimism about a deal.
