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Theo Walcott says £58m player should have joined Liverpool instead of Chelsea and he’s ‘worried’ about him now
Theo Walcott believes Romeo Lavia could have been the ‘perfect’ signing for Liverpool and he’s now worried about him after his move to Chelsea.
Liverpool went through a midfield overhaul last season as the likes of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jordan Henderson, Naby Keita, James Milner and Fabinho departed the club.
The Reds responded by signing Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endo to cap off what turned out to be an eventful summer transfer window.
Liverpool and Chelsea were also involved in a transfer merry-go-round last summer, with both clubs pursuing moves for Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia. However, the Blues had the last laugh as both players snubbed advances from Anfield in favour of a move to Stamford Bridge.
And now, Theo Walcott believes Lavia may have made a big mistake by not moving to Anfield.
Theo Walcott feels Liverpool missed the trick with Romeo Lavia
Lavia was locked in talks to sign for Liverpool but the Reds put their pursuit of the Belgian midfielder on hold to make a move for Caicedo as they agreed a Premier League record deal worth £111m to snap him up from Brighton & Hove Albion.
However, the Reds failed the convince the Ecuadorian to move to Liverpool as Chelsea blew them out of the water with a superior bid to seal the transfer.
When Liverpool returned with an offer from Lavia, it once again proved to be too little too late as the youngster had already agreed to join Chelsea.
Walcott described Liverpool as the perfect club for Lavia and shared his concerns about the Belgian midfielder becoming a bit of a forgotten man at Chelsea due to their bloated squad.
“Lavia, going back to him, I just felt that Liverpool was the perfect club for him at that time in his career if he was going to move on,” Walcott said on .
“I am worried that he will then just be one of those Chelsea players who will be gone and you won’t hear much of him.”
Lavia could have been perfect for Liverpool
Lavia joined Chelsea in a deal worth but endured a torrid time with injuries last season as he played just 32 minutes for the club across all competitions.
The 20-year-old virtually missed the entirety of the season due to ankle and hamstring injuries but is now back to full fitness as he aims to make an impression under new coach Enzo Maresca.
Liverpool, for their part, signed Endo and the midfielder gave a good account of himself under Jurgen Klopp, but he has failed to impress under Arne Slot in pre-season so far.
The Dutchman prefers a possession-based brand of football, which doesn’t bode well for the 31-year-old. Endo hasn’t looked comfortable under Slot and has fallen down the pecking order at the club, indicating that he doesn’t quite suit the new system.
The Reds’ lack of a number six has been a glaring weakness in their squad for at least two summers and their unsuccessful pursuit of Martin Zubimendi only adds to their problems.
Slot believed Zubimendi was perfect was Liverpool‘s midfield, but the midfielder opted to stay at his boyhood club despite being tempted by a move to Anfield.
As for Lavia, he now faces a real challenge of finding a spot in Chelsea’s expansive squad, which has been reinforced with further additions this summer.