After Manchester City’s regrettable sale of Cole Palmer, Pep Guardiola has been told not to worry as much about Romeo Lavia.

According to former Arsenal man Theo Walcott, the promising midfielder may fall victim to an overpopulated dressing room at Chelsea after their heavy spending and end up in obscurity.

Lavia joined the Blues last summer for a reported £53million-plus odd ons but was sidelined with various injuries. Guardiola may have worried that the ex-Citizen star would develop and prosper like teammate Palmer with the Spaniard previously admitting to rating him highly.

However, Walcott fears that Lavia could become forgotten under new boss Enzo Maresca, especially considering Conor Gallagher’s collapsed Atletico Madrid deal, which will throw another midfielder into an already competitive battle for first-team football.

Walcott played with Lavia at Southampton after they snapped him up from Man City in 2022 for a reported £14m. The Belgian impressed during his single season with the Saints, ranking as one of the best young defensive midfielders in the league.

Guardiola previously expressed regret at letting the player leave the Etihad, but his worries may be eased by suggestions that Lavia could falter at Chelsea – unlike Palmer, who has established himself as one of the best attackers in the Premier League since leaving City.

“He’s a very talented footballer,” Walcott told the BBC. “He trained his heart out, probably trained too much. He had a serious injury and obviously missed a whole year.

“There were talks of him going to Chelsea or Liverpool, and I thought, right, as a player, this is perfect. Liverpool would be the perfect club for right now because the midfield was rebuilding at that particular time.

“Players can, of course, make their choice, but as a career path, he’s stagnated a little bit. The new manager [Maresca] has come in, he’s brought in Dewsbury-Hall, you’ve got Conor Gallagher – similar players to some extent.”

“With the number of players they are signing, good players who just won’t get a chance. They just won’t be seen at Chelsea,” Walcott added.

“They’ll be sent out on loan to lower league clubs and not appear. I am worried Romeo Lavia will just be one of those Chelsea players that will just be gone, and you won’t hear much about.”

His situation will be made tougher by the fact Gallagher flew back to London last night after his £33m deal to Atletico stalled at the final hurdle.

He has since arrived back in training with Maresca’s side. While the deal isn’t completely dead yet and could still see Joao Felix return to the Blues, Lavia could be faced with more competition in an already overcrowded midfield.

The same can’t be said for Palmer, who was Chelsea’s standout player last term and cemented his place as a key player with a new contract this week, extending his deal by two years to keep him at the club until 2033.

Guardiola appeared to admit regret at selling the England star last season. Speaking back in April, he said: “He was asking for two seasons to leave Man City. I said: stay. He wanted to leave. What can we do?!

“He’s an exceptional player with super potential… I didn’t give him the minutes he deserves that he now has at Chelsea”.

Join our new WhatsApp communityand receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.