Enzo Maresca and his backroom team will be keen to tackle a significant problem that cost a whopping £30million last season. After a period of heavy spending, underperformance and often outright humiliation since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital took the reins in 2022, the Blues are showing signs of turning things around.
Going into the international break, Maresca's squad sat fourth in the Premier League, just four points adrift of Sunday's opponents and early frontrunners Liverpool. To maintain a credible Champions League challenge, Maresca will be eager to dodge the injury issues that plagued the club both on and off the pitch in 2023/24.
According to the Men's European Football Injury Index, compiled by global insurance intermediary group Howden, Chelsea had the highest average cost in the Premier League £540,000 per injury and the second-highest overall cost at £30.22m. The cost is determined by multiplying the daily base salary of the injured player by the number of days they were sidelined due to injury.
bore the biggest brunt of any Premier League team for injuries, with costs totalling £39.81million. The report revealed that Erik ten Hag's side endured 75 instances of injury throughout the campaign, second only to Newcastle with 76.
Champions suffered 57 injuries, costing them £27m. The Premier League shouldered a staggering 44% of injury costs among Europe's top five leagues, with its clubs' hefty salaries driving the English division's injury expenses to £265.8m out of a total £610.2m.
That marked a 5% surge from the 2022/23 figures, while injuries across these leagues increased by 4%, totalling 4,123 cases. Chelsea, in particular, have been grappling with injury woes, consistently recording above-average numbers for the past four seasons. The club will want to address the problem as they look to keep pace with the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal and City.
James Burrows, the head of sport at Howden, highlighted the growing physical strain on footballers, saying: "As fixture congestion intensifies with expanded competitions domestically and internationally, we are seeing more players sidelined for longer periods, with a notable five per cent rise in injury costs this season alone.
"Our data captures the demands of modern football and we hope it serves as a valuable tool for players, clubs and governing bodies in their ongoing discussions."
Chelsea have availability issues ahead of Sunday's trip to Anfield, with Reece James still out of action - although the defender has returned to training - while Wesley Fofana and Marc Cucurella are both suspended.
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