Trevoh Chalobah seduced Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea: his call-up for the World Cup rewards his faith

Trevoh Chalobah has always believed — in God, but also in himself. The young Englishman had displayed this ambition in 2018 by posting on X a photo of the World Cup trophy captioned “One day”, accompanied by a folded hands emoji and the hashtag #believe. He had just turned 19 and his only contact with the Chelsea first team was a place on the bench in the FA Cup final against Manchester United at Wembley two months earlier.

Shortly after, Chalobah accepted a loan to Ipswich Town, the first in a series of loans over three seasons which were to shape him before making him suitable for first team play for his training club. The one who made the final decision to launch it? Thomas Tuchel. Under the German coach, Chalobah became a surprise starter in the 2021 European Super Cup against Villarreal, then made his Premier League debut three days later against Crystal Palace, scoring to celebrate.

Tuchel, rarely presented as a systematic slayer of the bet on youth at Chelsea, had nevertheless spotted rare qualities in Chalobah: an aggressive defender, carried forward, capable of anticipating danger, comfortable in aerial duels as well as on the ground, clean in the recovery and sufficiently mobile to evolve with space behind him.

Even when his playing time fluctuated in a squad plethora of defensive options, Chalobah has accumulated great experience: starting in the 2021-22 League Cup and FA Cup finals, then lining up alongside Levi Colwill during the surprise success in the Club World Cup final against Paris Saint-Germain last summer.

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This run is all the more remarkable as it came after a troubled period where Chalobah was stripped of his shirt number and sent back to train with the development squad while Chelsea looked to part ways with him. A spell at Crystal Palace on loan revived him: his performances at Selhurst Park were so convincing that Chelsea recalled him in January to strengthen an injury-hit defense.

His ability to keep a cool head and his professionalism ended up paying off. In 2025-26, only Marc Cucurella (now at Real Madrid) played more minutes than him for Chelsea in all competitions, proof of his growing place in the defensive rotation.

Tuchel favored Chalobah to replace Tino Livramento in the World Cup squad, to the detriment of perhaps more “flashy” options. “What we are trying to achieve this summer can only be achieved as a team,” Tuchel explained last month. We will spend a lot of time together and be together 24/7. Many elements were taken into account, notably these “human” factors, to obtain the right alchemy. It is important that each player knows their role and we have chosen a very balanced group. »

Chalobah – who has one cap, won against Senegal last summer – is not a trained full-back like Livramento, but he has high-level experience in several defensive roles and even in defensive midfield. Beyond his technical and physical qualities, he is appreciated for his positive influence in the locker room and his competitive temperament, demanding of himself and others in training.

On Instagram, he once again mixed faith and ambition by publishing a biblical passage: “May my hope come back to life this week and may my doubt be silenced while I entrust everything to You. » For Trevoh Chalobah, as in the past, this faith and perseverance have been rewarded.