Nathaniel Chalobah is coming into his own in Chelsea blue, overcoming a rocky professional career and a year of heart-breaking tragedy to fight for his place in the starting XI.
After scoring his first senior goal for Chelsea in the friendly match against AC Wolfsberger, Nathaniel Chalobah pointed to sky and shed a tear. The poignant moment was proof of the toll the dreadful last 12 months have taken on the youngster.
From a footballing perspective, he only saw 29 minutes of Serie A action during his loan spell at Napoli. So much for the ideals of Chelsea’s ‘loan army’. Consistent playing time with a top team in a top league was always going to be a stretch too far if he was unlikely to get game time at Chelsea.
On a personal level, Chalobah suffered a heart-wrenching tragedy: his mother sadly passed away in January of this year.
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A 21-year old man in a unfamiliar country, away from home, away from his family and teammates, learning of the passing of such a monumental figure in his life is awful.
People deal with the loss of a parent in many ways, and sports stars are no different.
In 2008, Frank Lampard lost his mother in a battle to pneumonia. He was devastated, but used her passing as motivation on the football pitch. After this he celebrated every goal, every victory, by pointing to the sky in memory of her. The next six years in a Chelsea shirt were some of his best.
Chalobah’s pre-season performances for Chelsea have made a persuasive case for his inclusion in the first team, if not the starting XI. He appears set to stay at Stamford Bridge this season, although the threat of a loan move for a Chelsea youth is never far away.
He is a mobile, powerful midfielder, who can complement both Nemanja Matic and N’Golo Kante. Much more versatile and adept defensively than Cesc Fabregas, Chalobah is comfortable driving possession.
In the pre-season matches he has demonstrated his scoring and passing ability. Against Real Madrid he made a sensational 40 yard volleyed pass to Eden Hazard (judge for yourselves if he meant it).
Eden Hazard 1st Goal . Assist by Chalobah #ICC2016 #CFCTour pic.twitter.com/GrPc0i2uVW
— CISC Bandung (@CISCbandung) July 31, 2016
He has demonstrated his lethal ball-striking in the past, too. Remember this goal for Watford against future champions Leicester City?
Nathaniel Chalobah with an unbelievable goal! pic.twitter.com/fxJfpQ8u1n
— Footy Throwback (@FootyThrowback) July 31, 2016
That is certainly Lampard-esque, and Chalobah would do well to learn from how Lampard handled himself on and off the pitch.
Since 2012, Nathaniel Chalobah has been loaned to six (!) different clubs and played only 9 games for Napoli last season.
At this stage in his career he would not benefit from a loan to any team that isn’t a title-contending club in one of the top leagues. If those teams are only going to play him a handful of times Chelsea should do the sensible – not to mention respectful and productive – thing and keep him around.
Next: Fikayo Tomori commits to Chelsea('s loan army)
Chalobah has a lot to play for this season, and has overcome enough personal and professional adversity to last a career. Judging by the pre-season matches, he’s up for the challenge. Will Chelsea reward him accordingly?