Trevoh Chalobah says he is ‘over the moon’ after scoring on his Premier League debut in Chelsea’s 3-0 victory against Crystal Palace, while Thomas Tuchel was full of praise for the player.
The 22-year-old scored Chelsea’s third goal of the match on Saturday with a piledriver from distance and he immediately fell to his knees.
Chelsea had been in the market for a new defender but Chalobah’s displays – also starring in the Super Cup – may have negated that need and he was delighted to make his mark in front of fans at the Bridge.
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‘I couldn’t believe it when the ball went in. I just dropped to my knees. I was over the moon. I didn’t know it was in until the crowd cheered,’ Chalobah told BBC Sport.
‘It’s been an amazing week for me. I’ve been at this club since I was eight. Playing at Stamford Bridge, watching loads of games, being a ball boy, coming to watch the game with my family, Champions League nights. It’s a dream come true.’
The youngster has now started two successive games in a matter of days for the Blues after also featuring in Wednesday’s win against Villarreal, while he was impressive in pre-season too.
Chalobah was expected to go on loan again this campaign, having spent the last three years on loan at Ipswich, Huddersfield and Lorient.
But his recent displays have given Tuchel an headache, who may now have to rethink his plans despite having more experienced players in the position.
‘Two fantastic games played now and played almost every minute in pre-season. He is an humble guy from the academy and was so, so good. He plays with so much confidence, so many good behaviours on the pitch is a pretty perfect afternoon for him,’ Tuchel told Sky Sports after the match.
‘You saw how they celebrated with him and these are the stories we love about football, in this game in an exciting league with players from abroad, there is still place for home grown talent at our club and other big clubs.’
Chalobah is the latest in a list of players to make their debuts at the club after coming through Chelsea’s youth system, and Tuchel says they will continue to look to bring young players into the first-team.
‘We will never stop doing so. Chalobah plays alongside Reece James and Mason Mount. This is how it has to be. This is what we love. This is what everyone loves about football – a mix of famous players from abroad and quality players from the academy,’ he said.
