Mauricio Pochettino has yet to even be announced as Chelsea’s new manager, but his problems are already starting.
Benoir Badiashile looked set to be a regular in these last few games of the season after some good recent performances, with the club looking to help the January signing settle in with more playing time.
We heard in Frank Lampard’s press conference on Friday that the defender was going to miss Sunday’s game against Man City with a groin injury picked up in training, but it sounded very minor. We had thought it was possible he would be back for the games this week, in fact.
But it turns out that the issue is far more serious than thought, as Nizaar Kinsella has revealed in his article for the Evening Standard today.
He writes that Badiashile’s problem could cause him to miss all of the rest of this season plus the start of next season. Mauricio Pochettino. He writes that it could be as much as a four month issue.
We will hear more from Frank Lampard in his press conference later this week, but Kinsella is a reliable source, so this is a big blow. Not only will the France international miss the games at the star of next season, crucially he will miss his whole first preseason with the new coach, likely Pochettino.
There are other alternatives in the squad, and Levi Colwill will be back next season, but it’s a blow to Poch’s start before he’s even in the door.
