Chelsea manager gives blunt answer to whether ex-Liverpool target will be ready for EFL Cup final

Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has revealed whether Romeo Lavia will be able to make the EFL Cup final against Liverpool.

Lavia, 20, was involved in a transfer saga last summer as both Liverpool and Chelsea played a transfer tug-of-war for the former Southampton star. Despite the great promise he showed last season, injuries have completely derailed his first season at Chelsea, playing just 32 minutes so far off the bench against Crystal Palace, and now an unknown injury is threatening to keep him out for a prolonged period once again.

Pochettino was quizzed about the extent of his new issue and whether he would be available to face Liverpool in the EFL Cup final at Wembley at the end of this month - it was a question which had an incredibly quick and definitive answer. "No. He is not training with the team. He is still recovering. Impossible. He is still not on the pitch."

Given how intense the battle was in the summer for Lavia and Moises Caicedo, another player who Chelsea managed to prise away from Liverpool in a transfer war, fans on Merseyside will be very smug due to the nature of their side's business. After six months of the season, the fortunes of both the players and the two clubs compared to Liverpool has been chalk and cheese, day and night.

Except Ryan Gravenberch, who has struggled to find his top form, Wataru Endo, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai have been excellent and have helped carry Jurgen Klopp's side back to challenging once again. Whereas Lavia has played once and Caicedo is only just starting to settle after his record-breaking £115m move.

The EFL Cup stands, once again, as a chance for Liverpool to hammer home that point. Given Chelsea 'won the battle' with their two transfer successes over Liverpool, the final is a chance for Klopp's men to win the war as Caicedo will face off in the type of games he was bought to impress in - and that is what will give an extra edge to a game that already has plenty due to the rivalry between the two clubs but Lavia won't be present.