Thomas Tuchel has said that he is happy to keep Trevoh Chalobah at Chelsea after the 22-year-old’s remarkable Premier League debut this weekend.
Chalobah came through the club’s academy but has been made to wait for his first senior appearance at Stamford Bridge having spent time out on loan at Ipswich Town, Huddersfield and Lorient.
The player delivered an impressive display in Chelsea’s Super Cup win against Villarreal last week and kept his place in the team for their Premier League game against Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Chalobah delivered another good display and scored Chelsea’s final goal as they ran out 3-0 winners against Palace.
Chelsea are still interested in signing Sevilla central defender Jules Kounde this summer, while Chalobah has been linked with another loan move.
But Tuchel said after Chelsea’s victory over Palace that he wants to see Chalobah fight for his place. Tuchel told Chelsea TV: ‘It has to be special and it always, for me, needs to stay like this.
‘Of course, we’re looking for the best in the world, for example when we buy Romelu Lukaku. ‘Of course, we look for the best talents in the world when we buy Kai Havertz, and they are fantastic players from abroad.
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‘We have some of the best players in the world in our squad and still there are places for guys from the academy.
‘In the end he plays alongside Reece James and Mason Mount, this is how it has to be. I love it, the spectators love it. This is how it should be that we have a good mix and they still have a place to fight their way through.
‘This is what Chelsea academy stands for, for top quality. And we will never stop pushing.’
Chalobah, meanwhile, says he was desperate to make an impression with the manager at the beginning of Chelsea’s pre-season.
‘When I first started pre-season my aim was to impress the manager, day in, day out,’ Chalobah told Chelsea TV. ‘Whether that’s training, being the first in training and doing what he wants, and giving my all, that’s what I have done since day one.
‘He said I did well in the pre-season, but I was a bit surprised to start the Super Cup, but it shows my work has paid off.
‘He has given me the opportunity and I have taken it with both hands. It’s important in football to stay consistent, stay grounded, stay hungry and always want more.’
