Chelsea FC currently has several young players who could be among the best footballers in the world in the future, and one of them is Belgian Roméo Lavia. Born on January 6, 2004 in Brussels, Roméo Lavia is a defensive midfielder who has earned a small fanbase thanks to his matches and performances with Chelsea FC last season, but this fanbase has since grown due to Lavia’s great potential. This potential is demonstrated by his physical strength, interceptions, composure, and defensive contributions. Unfortunately, Lavia has suffered from injuries in recent years, and many fear that these will ruin his great potential.
Even so, Lavia is aware that he needs to improve his game even further, despite having demonstrated many positive aspects in his football. This is both good and respectable. Therefore, since then, Lavia has been scouting different players, taking note of their characteristics, and incorporating them into his style of play. And curiously, one of the players Lavia has targeted is considered a flop in the Premier League because he wasn’t as good as many expected. We’re talking about the French midfielder Tanguy Ndombele, a former Tottenham Hotspur player and current OGC Nice player.
Tanguy Ndombele used to be a very skilled midfielder with impressive technique, and who could easily transition between defense and attack due to his versatility, and of course, beating the press. Well, it turns out Lavia is a fan of the French midfielder, as he recently uploaded four photos to Instagram, and one of them showed his computer screen where he was watching a YouTube video titled “Tanguy Ndombele Just Loves Beating the Press.”
Romeo Lavia on IG 📸 pic.twitter.com/edrzuRZrw2
— CFC Pics (@Mohxmmad) August 31, 2025
Some people have appreciated the fact that Lavia is taking notes on Ndombele’s playing style. They even have made references to his extensive football knowledge from studying Ndombele, but that he was a player who wasn’t used properly, possibly at Tottenham Hotspur, to become better.
Ndombele had a lot of struggles throughout his career, whether it was because of him not being used properly or not taking care of himself. The last part went viral throughout the years since he has been seen with extra weight, which hindered his progression.
Studying Ndombele. Proper football knowledge right there. Ndombele was so so good. Unfortunately he wasnt grounded enough to take his career next level.
— notLTD (@lophytee) August 31, 2025
Lavia has also had his own fair share of problems during his stint with Chelsea thus far. He only played 23 games during his first two seasons at the club mainly because of injuries. Here is hoping that he can get back on track and the Ndombele clips could be a way for him to find inspiration.
There are also those who directly share the video image and claim that Ndombele is one of the best at beating the press.
It’s always good to see a current footballer taking cues from another player, as it shows respect and admiration. Lavia undoubtedly chose as an example a player not many remember and not many expected, but those who saw peak Ndombele when he played for Olympique Lyonnais know how electric the midfielder was back then.
Both players have had their own fair share of issues throughout the years, but, hopefully, they can both turn it around and achieve their potential, which is certainly great.
