Chelsea have completed the signing of midfielder Romeo Lavia from Southampton for a reported £53million, possibly rising to £58m, taking their total number of first-team acquisitions this summer to eight. The 19-year-old, who has played just 29 times in the Premier League, has signed a seven-year deal having made clear earlier this week his desire to move to Stamford Bridge over Liverpool, who also had a bid accepted. Chelsea have now spent more than £350m during this transfer window once performance-related add-ons are taken into account, though that has been significantly offset by fees received for player sales. Lavia told the club’s website: “I can’t wait to meet all my new team-mates and build a chemistry together to achieve great things together.” Lavia, who made his Belgium debut in a friendly win against Germany in March, will likely compete with Enzo Fernandez and fellow new-signing Moises Caicedo - the two most expensive players in English transfer history - for a starting place in Mauricio Pochettino’s midfield. Chelsea broke that record for the second time in eight months on Monday with the capture of Caicedo from Brighton for an initial £100m, possibly rising to £115, eclipsing the £106m they paid Benfica for Fernandez in January. Co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley said: “We are very pleased to welcome Romeo to Chelsea. “He demonstrated his quality in the Premier League last season at Southampton, showing maturity despite his young age, and is a player we have monitored for some time. “We believe he is ready to make an impact at Chelsea throughout the current campaign, and in the coming years.” It is also understood that a deal is yet to be agreed with Newcastle for defender Lewis Hall, though a move for the 18-year-old is close. Hall signed a new six-year contract with the club just days ago and was set to spent the season on loan at Crystal Palace but Newcastle’s offer, believed to be £28m, has persuaded the club to reconsider. As an academy product, any sale would be recorded as pure profit in Chelsea’s books as they look to remain within Financial Fair Play rules following a total transfer outlay over the last year in excess of £900m. A deal had also been agreed with Palace for the transfer of winger Michael Olise after the club met his £35m release clause, but the France Under-21 international has opted to remain at Selhurst Park and signed a new four-year contact on Thursday. PA

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West Ham have been charged by UEFA following the behaviour of their fans at their midweek Europa Conference League final victory over Fiorentina. The Serie A side’s captain Cristiano Biraghi sustained a cut head after being hit by one of several plastic cups hurled at him from the end containing Hammers supporters as he went to take a first-half corner. West Ham have also been charged with an invasion of the field of play. The Italian club have landed two charges relating to the lighting of fireworks and throwing of objects. UEFA’s Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) will decide on the matter in due course. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

There’s a new look about a key area of the team for Liverpool, a changing of the guard enforced by recent events, a previous zone of consistency now faced with uncertainty. No, we’re not talking about midfield - that particular switch-up already looks a definite upgrade, even early as it is for such conclusions. Instead it’s at left-back the unexpected alteration has occurred, a consequence of Andy Robertson’s need for surgery which means the Scot is out for the rest of the year. Having averaged over 44 appearances a season for the Reds since signing in 2017, he’ll now miss at least 17 matches, if best estimates of his return are to be believed. That leaves not just a gap for Kostas Tsimikas or an untested youngster to fill tactically, but a void which cannot be accounted for: that of a partnership, of understanding, of the natural, unthinking knowing which comes with playing hundreds of matches alongside a teammate. It can be argued that such a changeable nature can be applied not just to the midfield, not even just to left-back, but to the entire defensive structure this term at Anfield: injuries have already hit on the right and centrally too, to go along with the altered personnel ahead of them in the middle third of the pitch. All that simply means one truth must be constant if the Reds are to translate early season promise into longer-term capacity to challenge for major honours: Virgil van Dijk must once again prove himself to be among the very best, not just individually as a defender but as a force to make the whole greater than the sum of its parts. There cannot be much debate that the Dutchman, now club captain at Anfield, has not quite reached the same levels of authoritative performances as he did pre-ACL injury, or at least not on as regular a basis. The period which saw Liverpool win both Premier League and Champions League saw Van Dijk at the pinnacle of the game, a central defender without peer, a worthy recipient of the Ballon d’Or itself, had he been handed it instead of a runner-up spot, pipped by seven votes in 2019 by Lionel Messi. Perhaps that in itself was a noteworthy award. In any case, he’s not quite there these days, not quite the automatic choice among fan or pundit asked to name the world’s finest. It’s arguable that there isn’t a single stand-out candidate right now for that particularly subjective title. But in asking whether Van Dijk is capable of being the world’s best defender again, part of the answer has to be that it doesn’t really matter. He might want to be of course, might already believe he is, but from a team perspective what they really need is Van Dijk’s ability to stabilise the team, to foresee and forestall danger, to order those around him to bring forth resilience from chaos. Because chaotic is, still, a little too close to the truth when it comes to spells of defending for Liverpool. The midfield is far more creative, far more offensive and energetic, far less reliant on Trent Alexander-Arnold always being at his best. But all that comes at a cost: it’s not always the most agile and defensive-first in either recovery or positional terms. It’s still new as a group, still needs time to become as cohesive as the best central trios are, on and off the ball. And in the meantime, the result can often be large gaps, lost runners, moments of inexplicable choices in possession. That leaves a hefty weight on the defence to counteract such moments - the defence and, of course, the still-magnificent Alisson Becker behind them. But before that one-man last line, it’s Van Dijk who must rise once more to ensure unity, if not always outright unison. Acting in perfect harmony is difficult enough with four constant selections; as it is this season, Jurgen Klopp has already utilised Jarell Quansah as a fifth-choice, following injuries. Alexander-Arnold missed pitch time and is not yet back to his peak physical or technical best. Ibrahima Konate and Joel Matip have dovetailed, and now there’s Tsimikas present on a more regular basis - which also means either Joe Gomez will see minutes on the left, or an untried youngster will, with Calum Scanlon and Luke Chambers first in line. They presently tally one senior minute between them. They will all four need guiding for different reasons, all need time, all occasionally get things wrong and need the left-sided centre-back beside them to bail them out. No prizes for guessing who that is on a week-to-week basis. Because for Liverpool, there are prizes at stake. Three points off the top of the Premier League table after a fine opening quarter of the campaign; rolling along nicely in Europe and domestic cups alike. Between now and the next international break, the opportunities for victory across all competitions are as immense as the potential cost of dropped points: Toulouse twice, Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth, Luton, Brentford. A modern title-competing team would take six wins with very little fuss, in truth. Then, beyond, it’s Manchester City away. The most true barometer of where Liverpool are this season, even coming after an international break and in the infamous 12:30pm kick-off spot. The margin for error remains almost nil, but with the reigning champions perhaps not quite at their own peak yet, and Klopp’s side having improved more than might have been thought possible at this early stage, thoughts of a title challenge will not be far away - if the defence is kept on-point, even with altered personnel. It all means Van Dijk must be as close to his own 100 percent as possible, even if his 2023/24 maximum level is a little lower than in 19/20. As far as transformative figures go, Van Dijk was one after signing. He, as much as anyone else and more than most, sent Liverpool from challengers to champions, in every competition across the board. Now once again he must be the leader - literally, given the armband - who enables the Reds to do so, not so much the new figurehead this time but as the standard-bearer, the supplier of consistency, the model of outperformance which can give Liverpool the extra edge they’ll need, both in the Premier League and beyond. Read More Build from the front? Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp are repeating an old trick England’s Euro 2024 squad: Who’s on the plane, who’s in contention and who has work to do? Virgil van Dijk will show he is Premier League’s best once more – Sami Hyypia Virgil van Dijk will show he is Premier League’s best once more – Sami Hyypia Virgil van Dijk: Liverpool finally had some luck go our way against Everton Euro 2024 qualifying – who has reached Germany and who still has work to do?

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