Ahead of this weekend’s blockbuster fixture between two giants of English football, Chelsea and Manchester United, an interesting statistic has come to light in favour of the London club.
Academy graduate Trevoh Chalobah is yet to lose a match in which he has started in the Premier League for The Blues.
The young defender has played in 24 games in the league, drawing 8 & losing none since making his debut against Crystal Palace last season under Thomas Tuchel.
Chalobah, so far, has 3 goals and an assist under his name in the domestic league and can play in a variety of positions, including right-back and as defensive midfielder.
He had scored his first goal for the club on his debut against The Eagles and showed just how much the moment meant to him as he was overwhelmed with emotions and dropped down to his knees in tears while his teammates rushed to celebrate with him.
He went ahead and also scored against Juventus last season in the 4-0 hammering at Stamford Bridge on his first-ever Champions League start.
The 23-year-old Sierra Leone-born England national joined Chelsea’s academy as an under-9 player and progressed through the ranks to the men’s first team, just as his older brother Nathaniel Chalobah.
His loan spells at Championship teams Ipswich Town & Huddersfield Town was followed by a trip to Ligue 1 side Lorient in 2020. He earned plaudits all over and deservedly joined the club’s senior set-up for pre-season in 2021 under the German coach.
In his post-match interview after the mid-week draw against Brentford, he was asked about his incredible record for Chelsea. “I saw that stat about two days ago and I never knew that it was a thing. It’s good and something I’m proud of, but not something I look at too much. For me, I just want to impress any time I’m given a chance in the team and to give me all to help us get a win.” he replied with a grin.
Speculations were flying around suggesting that Chalobah was ready to leave the club on loan to get regular playing time elsewhere when he was an unused sub in the opening 2 matches of the season.
The summer signings of Wesley Fofana and Kalidou Koulibaly indicated that his decision would have been a sensible one if he had followed through. Instead, he stayed put and has now become an integral part of new boss Graham Potter’s squad.
He also has the opportunity to learn his trade from experienced world-class defenders in Koulibaly and the evergreen Thiago Silva to form a long-term partnership with the 21-year-old Fofana and lead The Blues’ backline for many years to come.
Playing alongside fellow academy graduates like Mason Mount & Reece James would give him the confidence & motivation needed to cement his place in the starting 11 week in, week out just like his predecessors.
As for the fans, they would be hoping that Trevoh Chalobah’s unbeaten run continues for as long as possible to help Chelsea mount a substantial challenge for the Premier League and Champions League trophies.
