BLUES SHOULD LET HIM GO
NATHANIEL CHALOBAH is the perfect example of the main problem facing English football.
Chalobah appears to be the complete player. He’s athletic, versatile, powerful and has remarkable endurance.
He can score goals. He can stop them. He can dominate midfield and run a match when he puts his mind to it.
But the problem for Chalobah is that he can’t get a regular game – no matter how much he impresses his bosses.
That’s because Chalobah belongs to Chelsea, the club that has mastered the art of stifling English talent to the point where it has become a standing joke.
Chalobah joined the Blues when he was 10. He’s now 22 and despite shining on the international stage with England’s junior age groups, he has made just 10 league appearances for the champions – and 15 in total.
England’s triumph in last month’s Under-20 World Cup was as depressing as it was wonderful.
That’s because the majority of Paul Simpson’s winning squad have become forgotten men in domestic football.
While players like Monaco’s Kylian Mbappe excel in the Champions League on a regular basis, the closest our young talents come to strutting their stuff in Europe is on a beach in Ibiza or Marbella during the close season.
Chalobah has not made a single appearance for the Blues in Europe. His only taste of continental club action came during a loan spell with Napoli during the 2015-16 season.
That stint in Italy was one of SIX loan spells Chalobah has been sent on since 2012.
Potential
You won’t be surprised to learn that Chalobah has excelled when given regular first-team football elsewhere.
One of his biggest fans also happens to be a certain Gareth Southgate.
The England manager would love to include him in one of his squads, because Chalobah has the potential to solve a huge problem the Three Lions have in the area of defensive midfield.
But how can he when Chalobah is sat twiddling his thumbs at Stamford Bridge?
Instead of showing some faith in him, Antonio Conte is poised to kick him in the teeth once again by signing Timeoue Bakayoko from Monaco to replace Nemanja Matic, who is bound for Manchester United. Chalobah must feel like he’s stuck in a washing machine scratching at the glass to get out.
The last month has proved that we have a talented generation coming through the ranks. But unless these lads are given the domestic stage to develop on, then it will be another generation that comes and goes without achieving a damned thing.
When Chalobah signed a new five-year deal with the Blues in August 2013, he stated he wanted to remain with them for the rest of his career.
He doesn’t think that now, because with just 12 months of that deal remaining he still hasn’t been allowed to fulfil his potential.
Mbappe is 18, but is now in the France side. Chalobah is a different talent from him, but he will still look at the striker and wonder what might have been.
At his age, Chalobah could have had 20-odd caps under his belt by now. It highlights a glaring issue in the English game.
Conte has done a lot for English football since taking charge of the Blues.
But perhaps the best thing he can do is let Chalobah leave so he can go and find himself a club that will cherish and appreciate his talents.