Club News: Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah makes Kalidou Koulibaly and Thiago Silva claim
While speaking to talkSPORT (h/t Mirror), Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah said that he used to watch videos of Kalidou Koulibaly and Thiago Silva’s defending when he was younger. The 23-year-old also hopes to compete for a place on the team.
“He [Koulibaly] is a player in my position who I have always watched. I used to watch his and Thiago’s [Silva’s] compilations of their defending on YouTube when I was younger.”
Chalobah has struggled for playing time this season with the centre-back making only one appearance for the club till now. Koulibaly, along with Thiago Silva and Cesar Azpilicueta have always been preferred ahead of the Englishman.
The arrival of Wesley Fofana also does not help his cause as it only pushed him further down the pecking order. But that was with the previous manager Thomas Tuchel and Chalobah has a chance to reignite his career under Graham Potter.
He has acknowledged that there will always be competition at a club like the Blues, but believes that by being patient he can make it back into the team.
I feel that when the chance comes, it comes. I will always be patient because playing for a club like this is not easy, there is always going to be competition. I try not to focus on the outside noise and focus what I’m doing and what I want to do this season. That is to get myself into the team and play a lot of games this season.
The 23-year-old surprisingly broke into the senior team last season when he managed to make 20 league appearances. It was expected that he will leave on loan to get more playing time and experience under his belt.
However, that was not to be as the Blues are said to have blocked any move for the young centre-back this summer. He is now expected to stay back at the club and fight for a place in the starting eleven.
Chalobah is young and has a great future ahead of him. With both Silva and Azpilicueta in the wrong side of their 30s, the 23-year-old has the opportunity to impress the new coach and rise up in the pecking order.
It remains to be seen if Potter will put his trust in the young defender or continues to deploy the old guards. Chalobah is not expected to start against RB Salzburg this Wednesday.
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- How Chelsea were beaten by Liverpool for the signing of Steven Bajcetic
As long as Silva, Koulibaly, Fofana, and Azpilicueta are fit, it will be hard for the Englishman to force his way into the starting IX on a regular basis.