Benoit Badiashile is unlikely to feature in Mauricio Pochettino's first game in charge of Chelsea after picking up a groin injury.
Badiashile, 22, is set to miss the start of next season due to the complaint. The French defender, who was signed from Monaco for £35million in January, was absent for Chelsea's 1-0 defeat to Premier League champions Manchester City on Sunday afternoon.
Pochettino is expected to be unveiled as Chelsea's next manager this summer. It's been a dreadful season for the Blues, who sit 12th in the Premier League. They could finish as low as 14th if they lose their last two games to Manchester United and Newcastle.
As reported by the Evening Standard, Badiashile pulled up in training last week and was due to undergo surgery on his groin on Monday. The injury could keep him out for four months, which means he could miss all of pre-season and the start of next term.
Badiashile was handed a huge contract until June 2030, such is his importance to Chelsea. The Blues have been the biggest spenders in Europe since Todd Boehly's consortium completed a takeover a year ago, building a world-class squad for Pochettino to inherit.
Chelsea finished third in the Premier League under Thomas Tuchel last season but have failed to build on that success. They sacked Tuchel in September and replaced him with Graham Potter, who struggled to get the best out of the club's new first-team squad.
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Potter was sacked in April and replaced with ex-boss Frank Lampard, who initially coached Chelsea between July 2019 and January 2021, on an interim basis. Lampard's second spell in charge has not gone to plan, losing seven and winning one of his nine games.
Badiashile is one of the few Chelsea players to have impressed this season and was expected to be part of Pochettino's plans. His injury could allow Levi Colwill, a left-footed centre-back who is currently on loan at Brighton, to make the position his own next year.
As for Pochettino, the former Tottenham boss has been out of work since leaving Paris Saint-Germain a year ago. He is regarded as one of the best managers available after guiding Spurs to the Champions League final in 2019, where they lost 2-0 to Liverpool.
Pochettino is renowned for getting the best out of young players, something he will need to do at Chelsea to be successful. The likes of Noni Madueke, Enzo Fernandez, Mykhaylo Mudryk and David Datro Fofana have been signed since Boehly became chair.
Pochettino could inherit a long injury list on his arrival at Stamford Bridge. Armando Broja (knee), Reece James (hamstring), N'Golo Kante (groin), Mason Mount (abdominal), Marc Cucurella (hamstring), Ben Chilwell (hamstring), Kalidou Koulibaly (hamstring), Mateo Kovacic (undisclosed) and Marcus Bettinelli (undisclosed) are currently nursing complaints.
"There's a lot of work to be done," said Lampard after Sunday's game. "There's clearly talent in the squad, making a lack of stability in the squad, maybe an imbalance in the squad."
