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ST. JAMES' CRISIS: CAN CHELSEA OVERCOME FIVE MAJOR FIRST-TEAM INJURIES
With Estevao Willian out and Lavia’s return unknown, we ask: can Enzo Maresca’s squad depth survive a trip to Newcastle United?
Chelsea isn't in crisis, but they do have five first-team players out with injuries. Some Premier League teams have it worse, but Enzo Maresca will be without some key guys for their game against Newcastle United this weekend.
Estevao Willian, Dario Essugo, Romeo Lavia, Liam Delap, and Levi Colwill, costing the club £130 million, are all out for the trip to St. James' Park on Saturday. Estevao is the latest to be sidelined with a minor muscle issue. Maresca mentioned it after the win at Cardiff City, saying the Brazilian stayed home.
He had a small muscle problem, Maresca said about Estevao. He won't be available for Newcastle, and we'll see about the next game.
StadiumNest understands Estevao should be back for the next game, a home match against Aston Villa on December 27. The club also hopes Essugo will be back soon.
The Portugal Under-21 player had thigh surgery in September and was supposed to return this month, but had another setback. It's not his thigh this time, but it seems unlikely we'll see Essugo before Christmas.
Lavia is still dealing with his injury issues. The 21-year-old went off injured in Chelsea's draw with Qarabag in November and football. London reported that he'd miss at least a month with a quad problem.
It's been more than a month since that update. The media asked Maresca about Lavia on Monday, and he said, We don't know. Lavia won't be back anytime soon.
The same goes for Colwill. He had surgery on a knee injury in August after hurting his ACL during his first preseason session after the Club World Cup. Colwill is expected to miss most of the season since ACL injuries usually keep players out for six to nine months.
As for Delap, he is not expected to play again this year. StadiumNest understands the striker, signed for £30 million this summer, will miss four weeks because of a shoulder injury he got in the draw with Bournemouth earlier this month.
Even with Maresca's best efforts to manage workloads, Chelsea is missing several key players right now. Considering Chelsea's long 2024/25 season, the boss has done well to keep most players on the field.
Players like Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo, Trevoh Chalobah, Pedro Neto, and Marc Cucurella have played a ton of minutes in 2025. Luckily, they've avoided injuries, even though some have had minor issues.
CHELSEA TARGET ALESSANDRO BASTONI: THE INTER MILAN DEFENDER MAKES A HUGE TRANSFER DECISION
Chelsea’s Maresca and Spurs’ Paratici target Alessandro Bastoni, but the defender is set to snub London for a new Inter deal.
According to reports in Italy, Chelsea's Enzo Maresca and Tottenham's Fabio Paratici are both very interested in Alessandro Bastoni for a possible move in 2026. The report also shares the Inter Milan defender’s feelings on a switch to either club.
Bastoni, considered one of the world’s best defenders, is a key player for both Inter Milan and the Italian national team. The 26-year-old has won Serie A twice with Inter and was named the league’s best defender for both the 2023/24 and 2024/25 seasons.
He also tasted success with Italy, winning Euro 2020. Currently, he seems to be at the height of his career.
With Levi Colwill injured, Chelsea might consider a new defender in January, according to The Telegraph.
FC Inter News reports that Bastoni is the center-back that Chelsea boss Maresca really wants at Stamford Bridge.
The Inter Milan source says that Maresca is a big fan, and so is Paratici, who would love to see the Italian star at Tottenham.
The report mentions that Bastoni has already turned down offers from Chelsea and Tottenham, as well as Al Hilal and Al Qadsiah in the summer of 2025.
Now, Barcelona, the current LaLiga champions, are also showing interest in Bastoni as they aim to win both their league title and the Champions League in 2025/26.
Alessandro Bastoni to discuss new Inter contract
Bastoni isn’t just uninterested in joining Chelsea (or Tottenham); he’s also planning to talk with Inter about a new contract soon.
FC Inter News says that initial talks about extending his current contract, which ends in June 2028, will likely start soon with his agent, Tullio Tinti.
Bastoni is very attached to Inter, where he’s been since 2017, and wants to stay with the club for the long haul.
So far, the center-back has scored seven goals and provided 28 assists in 277 appearances for Inter.
ENZO MARESCA UPBEAT: SQUAD ROTATION WORKS, BUT ESTEVAO HAS "MINOR MUSCLE ISSUE."
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca confirmed fan favourite Estevao will miss the Newcastle match due to a minor muscle issue, despite praising his rotated squad's win.
Chelsea seemed to hit their stride this season with a 3-0 Champions League victory over Barcelona, followed by a 1-1 draw against Arsenal at home. After that draw with the Gunners, their form took a dip, but they managed a 3-1 win at Cardiff in the Carabao Cup quarter-final, marking two wins in a row for Enzo Maresca’s squad. After the Cardiff game, Maresca talked to reporters about the win and Estevao's absence from the lineup.
Maresca Talks to the Press After Chelsea Reaches Carabao Cup Semi-Final
Enzo Maresca Pleased with Players After 3-1 Victory Over Cardiff City
Maresca commented on the win and the team’s improved performance after halftime:
These are the games that make me appreciate the players even more. It's easy to lose focus in these kinds of tough matches. Cardiff is well-organised and plays with a lot of energy. We knew what to expect, with Ty, Guiu, and Facu not getting much playing time.
Read More: Top Chelsea Players Who Wore the Number 16 Jersey
They need to be in good shape and get game time. We defended well in the second half but found it hard to create scoring chances.
What About Estevao?
Estevao has quickly become a fan favourite at Chelsea because of his exciting dribbling and goal-scoring ability. He wasn't in the squad against Cardiff, and Maresca explained why:
A minor muscle issue; he won’t play against Newcastle. We’ll see about the next game.
After the win against Everton, Maresca described the lead-up as his worst 48 hours at Stamford Bridge, sparking rumours about his future. But after the Cardiff win, Maresca seemed more upbeat:
I’ve been happy since the beginning. It’s not that I’m not happy tonight. I am happy, thank you.
No, as I said before, I started preparing for Cardiff the day after Everton. “I didn’t talk to anyone,” Maresca said when asked if he had spoken with the Sporting Directors.
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