Academy graduate’s reward: Chalobah aims to be key for Chelsea

With the addition of Wesley Fofana and the 31-year-old former Napoli defender, Kalidou Koulibaly in the center of the defense, it was evident that Chelsea was again turning to its usual tactic of spending money elsewhere when the quality is right in front of it at the club. Chalobah was running an astounding 31 games unbeaten in a Chelsea kit as a starter until Brighton and Hove Albion overran the Blues’ defense in the Premier League en route to a 4-1 victory behind two own goals. So far this season, Chalobah has started in 12 out of the 13 contests he has played in, and is second on the team in clearances, behind only Thiago Silva while making a total of no errors in his 1,111 minutes played.

He may not be someone who has some of the most glaring stats at the end of each match, but the fact that Chalobah has been so solid in the back, and battling against some of the best attackers in the game makes him one of the most valuable pieces for the Blues heading into the foreseeable future. Koulibaly and Silva cannot play at a high level forever, and while it may seem right now that Silva has the talent to defy father time, there is going to become a day when his age simply catches up to him. 43 appearances through just 18 months at the senior level for Chalobah, and as he continues to get more used to playing top-level football, there is no telling what the ceiling could possibly be.