Xabi Alonso names ‘very important’ player that has finally found his role at Chelsea

Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso has praised midfielder Romeo Lavia as "very important" after the Belgian secured regular starts following years disrupted by injuries. Alonso highlighted Lavia's consistency, balance, and ball distribution ahead of Chelsea's upcoming Premier League match against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.

Lavia joined Chelsea from Southampton for £58 million and has recently formed an effective central midfield partnership with Moises Caicedo. Ahead of the fixture, Alonso also addressed his upcoming reunion with Sunderland midfielder Granit Xhaka, downplaying Xhaka's claim regarding the tactical switch to a back three during their title-winning campaign at Bayer Leverkusen.