Former Arsenal striker Ian Wright has singled out Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah for praise after his strong start to the season.
The BBC pundit said he had been impressed by the 22-year-old’s form, and he even claims there are similarities in the centre-back’s game to Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk:
“Watching him against Arsenal [in pre-season] I was thinking, ‘wow, maybe it’s just a pre-season friendly he looks good’. I watched him against Villarreal [in the Super Cup] and I thought, ‘my god he’s really good’, You know what he reminded me of, not the same player, not the same stature, but the way Virgil Van Dijk when he played for Celtic, people said he’s just taking liberties just because he’s good and not in the same standard [as others].”
“I watched him play for Ipswich a couple of times where he played in that vain where you think I’d like to see him against better quality. Anything that Mateta or Zaha did [for Crystal Palace], he [Chalobah] dealt with it, but then his progression with the ball, getting forward with the ball, his tackling, the goal, the emotion.”
It will be interesting to see what manager Thomas Tuchel decides to do with Chalobah. The Blues are actively pursuing Jules Kounde which suggests that the German isn’t happy with the options at his disposal at the back.
Were the Frenchman to arrive at Stamford Bridge, it may spell the end of Chalobah’s run in the first team. Considering how well he has played, though, it would be very harsh to take him out of the starting eleven.
There has even been talk that the defender could be loaned out again for a fourth time before the end of the month, which would be a big surprise after his recent performances.
