Last night, Chelsea beat Villareal in the Super Cup final with a thrilling penalty shootout and one Blues’ newcomer left his mark on the game
An hour before kickoff and there was one unexpected face on the team sheet. 22-year-old Trevoh Chalobah was named as one of the three center-backs instead of the much more experienced Thiago Silva, Cezar Azpilicueta, and Andreas Christensen.
This decision was made after good performances in recent club friendlies against Arsenal and Tottenham where he played more than 80 minutes in each.
What Thomas Tuchel saw in Chalobah was true and he was the strongest of the defenders on the pitch in the final. He completed the most passes in the game with 124 and won five of his eight duels.
With five interceptions and five recoveries, he became a big part of why Chelsea held out Villareal for so long.
Trevoh Chalobah's Super Cup by numbers vs. Villarreal:
147 touches
140 passes
95% pass accuracy
5 duels won
5 clearances
5 interceptions
2 tackles made
0 fouls conceded
0 x dribbled pastCobham does it again. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/hJXzdpuZR3
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) August 11, 2021
What will be Chalobah’s future at Chelsea?
The young defender is a product of Chelsea’s academy and much more famous loan system. Since becoming a senior player in 2018, he has played for clubs like Huddersfield Town, Ipswich, and Lorient.
He caught the eye of many fans while in France as he scored two, assisted two in 29 games.
His main problem is that he comes back to a Blues team stacked to the brim with central defenders and looking for more. The club is already edging closer to signing Jules Kounde from Sevilla.
When someone needs to get dropped, Chelsea’s normal response is to sell the young players. Fikayo Tomori was a great example of a promising English center back now plying his trade in AC Milan.
Trevoh Chalobah has played one match for Chelsea but got two trophies. pic.twitter.com/tMGhhZEyEr
— Nizaar Kinsella (@NizaarKinsella) August 11, 2021
Some speculate that Tuchel played Chalobah to showcase him to any available suitors and to up his price tag. With three weeks left in the transfer window and Chelsea currently full of qualified center-backs, expect to see Chalobah on loan again this season.
