Chalobah reveals what Tuchel told him after superb Chelsea start

An impressive start to the new season has allowed the young Blues defender to stake a claim in Thomas Tuchel’s plans.

Thomas Tuchel has told Trevoh Chalobah that he will be a permanent member of Chelsea’s senior squad and can become ‘a good asset to the team’.

The Sierra Leone-born defender has had his big break this season upon starting in the UEFA Super Cup victory against Villarreal and in the 3-0 opening day win over Crystal Palace in the Premier League.

Chalobah, who also scored his first Blues goal against Palace, could become vital. With Kurt Zouma at West Ham now, as well as Chelsea’s failed attempt to sign Jules Kounde from Sevilla, Tuchel called off a fourth loan spell away from London for the 22-year-old this season.

“I spoke to the manager between the Palace and Arsenal games and he told me he wanted me to stay, so I moved over to the first-team building that week,” Chalobah told the club’s website.

“Before that, I was changing over at the Academy, but now I’ve fully moved over. It was a nice feeling when the manager told me. He spoke to me after training and told me how well I’d done, that I’d taken my chance in pre-season and in the games. He said he thinks I can be a good asset to the team and learn from the other players and support them.

“Even until the day, he told me I didn’t really believe it would happen. Even after the Super Cup, I thought he’d probably want me to go on loan. After the Palace game, it was a bit half-and-half, but until he pulled me into the office and gave me the news, I couldn’t really believe it.”

Chalobah has previously been out on loan to English lower-tier sides Ipswich Town and Huddersfield Town, while he spent last season at French club FC Lorient on loan.