Stop if you’ve heard this before but Chelsea lost another key player to injury this weekend. Trevoh Chalobah is the player in question this time around as the centerback went down inside 10 minutes against Aston Villa and was replaced by Tosin Adarabioyo who saw out the rest of the match.
Chalobah was already moving up the depth chart thanks to long term injuries to Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile who would likely be ahead of the young Englishman if they were healthy. The Chelsea Academy product has been solid for the Blues since being recalled from his loan to Crystal Palace and has been a fixture in the starting lineup thanks to other injuries.
As for the injury Chalobah suffered on Saturday, it does not appear to be serious but he will miss the Southampton match for sure and is a doubt for the Copenhagen match on March 6. Enzo Maresca said in his prematch press conference of the injury:
"“[Chalobah] had a check yesterday and he will be around one week to 10 days. On one side it is good because it is not an important injury but on the other side it is a shame because we lose another player at this moment with the amount of injuries that we had.”"Enzo Maresca
As Maresca said, this is good news in that we can expect Chalobah possibly for the Leicester City match or the club may choose to rest him ahead of the March international break. It is bad news in that the Blues only have three healthy players that primarily play centerback in Adarabioyo, Levi Colwill, and 19-year-old Aaron Anselmino who may be pressed into duty.
Another youngster in Josh Acheampong has played centerback for the Blues in the past and started there as recently as January 14 of this year in a 2-2 draw against Bournemouth. Maresca will likely opt for the more experienced duo in Colwill and Adarabioyo but may be forced to play the youngsters as well.
As of the Aston Villa match, the Blues now have 9 senior players out with short to long-term injuries and at key positions as well. What was once one of the deepest squads in the Premier League is now looking dangerously thin.
- Chelsea Injury List: Noni Madueke (thigh), Romeo Lavia (thigh), Nicolas Jackson (thigh), Wesley Fofana (hamstring), Mykhailo Mudryk (suspension), Benoit Badiashile (thigh), Omari Kellyman (thigh), Marc Guiu (groin), Trevoh Chalobah
This is an unenviable position for Maresca and the Blues as they will have to rely on several key players without much rotation or turn to unproven youngsters from the Academy. This has lead to some discoveries in the past with the likes of Mason Mount and Reece James making their presence known as Academy graduates so it may be time to rely on the kids.