Chelsea have reportedly expressed an interest in signing highly-rated young midfielder Romeo Lavia this summer after a breakthrough campaign at St Mary's. Having joined Southampton from Manchester City for £14million last summer, Lavia has been a shining light in an otherwise dismal season for the south coast side.
The Belgian teenager has impressed with his commanding performances that belie his inexperience at the top level, with several Premier League sides seemingly looking to recruit him when the next transfer window opens. The Blues are likely to face stiff opposition this summer, with Arsenal and Manchester United also said to be keen on a move.
However, despite impressing much of the footballing world this campaign, Saints boss Ruben Selles has been left unimpressed by the 19-year-old. Speaking on Friday, the recently appointed head coach surprisingly revealed he had not been impressed by the midfielder so far, and believes he’s got more to give.
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"I will say he’s not impressed me," Selles said in his press conference, via HampshireLive. "He has more football to offer and I expect him to offer more football. He’s not there yet. He needs to step up and move forward.
"Romeo has all the qualities to become a great player, but I don’t think he’s there yet. And this is why he didn’t impress me.
"I have worked with talent and I think to make the next step he needs to show more domination in the games, more domination in possession, more leadership on the pitch if he wants to become the thing that everybody says about him. So he needs to give more for me, more for the team and he needs to show more for himself.
"And it’s nothing that is about him personally, it’s something that the competition is giving to him. So he’s growing through the internal competition and through the competition in the Premier League. So that’s why I say we need to be careful when we talk about kids 17,18 and 19 years old and starting in the Premier League.
"I have no doubt that he will be there but he needs some steps and then everybody around him needs to be calmed down because when you try to make four steps forwards, usually you don’t make the first one. So it’s one step at a time.
"You stay here with us. You perform. You make this team win football matches, you lead this team on the pitch, lead this team in this dressing room.
"And then when the season finishes and everybody’s in the Premier League, we can think about something else. Because if we don’t make the target together and we start to put individual targets, then we are not going to make it.”
This summer won’t be the first time Chelsea have tried to sign the bright star, having seen an audacious £50million bid for him rebuffed late on in the summer transfer window, just a matter of months after his arrival at Southampton. Lavia himself has said he is not paying attention to the ongoing speculation surrounding his future.
"I don't read it," he said, speaking to Sky Sports. "I don't read it, because I just don't think about it. I just enjoy my football and focus on what we have to do as a club. Whatever is outside, it is not what I can control, so I don't pay attention to that.
"Football, with how it goes, it goes so fast. One moment you can be in the headlines and the next, you're not. So the only thing to do is just be neutral, don't think about it and get your head down and work."
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