“Show them the way”: Tuchel sends message to Chelsea academy players after Chalobah’s breakthrough

Thomas Tuchel praises Trevoh Chalobah and urges academy players to follow in his footsteps

Speaking to the official Chelsea club media before the Premier League game against Arsenal on Sunday, Thomas Tuchel singled out Trevoh Chalobah for praise.

The 22-year-old Englishman was playing as a defensive midfielder for FC Lorient last season on loan. Now, he has started for Chelsea in two competitive games as a centre-back.

Chalobah was on the field for the full 120 minutes as the Blues beat Villarreal to win the UEFA Super Cup. Then, he took to the field against Crystal Palace and scored an amazing goal to cap off a 3-0 opening day win.

And Tuchel credits the Chelsea academy product for this unexpected rise. The former PSG manager makes sure to point out that Chalobah is selected on his merit, and not due to his affiliation with the Blues’ academy.

“We cannot start to prefer someone from the Academy over another player if he does not provide the same level, because in the end we are here to win football games and push the group to the highest level. This is what Trevoh did and I am more than happy to have him in the squad.”

Sign of big things to come

The German boss says he can only open the door for young talent to come through; it is on them to make use of that opportunity.

“If you come from the Academy, if you can produce, if you are a nice guy like Reecey, like Mason, like Trevoh, like Callum, we will never stop pushing you. But we cannot go through the door. We can just open it and show them the way, but the guys need to go through it themselves.”

Trevoh, who is the brother of former Chelsea player and now Watford midfielder Nathaniel Chalobah, could see this season become the most important one of his career.

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Hopefully, he maintains this level of performance and could be Chelsea’s go-to man if they look to replace any of their current senior defenders in the long run.