According to Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea centre-back Trevoh Chalobah was told to: “stay home and not travel for preseason” following summer-long reports of a likely exit. It now appears the defenders days at Stamford Bridge are over.
Ramifications of Trevoh Chalobah’s Exclusion From Preseason Squad
Business Decisions
One of the main reasons why Chalobah is seemingly being forced out of the squad is due to the significant amount of capital invested in the centre-back department. There are currently seven centre-backs on the roster competing for first-team minutes: Trevoh Chalobah, Wesley Fofana, Axel Disasi, Tosin Adarabioyo, Levi Colwill, Benoit Badiashille, and Renato Veiga. Although modern tacticians often utilize an increasing number of center backs, having seven for ideally two starting spots is extremely surplus to requirements.
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Furthermore, Chalobah’s centre-back profile is already very saturated in the current squad. Four out of the seven are right-footed, including Chalobah, meaning that one of them is likely to be sacrificed. Tosin Adarabioyo was brought in this summer while Disasi joined last year for a considerable fee, ruling both of them out of contention for a possible exit. Likewise, Chelsea broke their transfer record for a defender on Wesley Fofana just two years ago. Considering the Frenchman has only played 15 games for the Blues, they are unlikely to find a market for him nor would they want to move on from such a massive investment so soon.
This leaves Chalobah as the obvious candidate to free up space on the center back depth chart. Football’s a business at the end of the day, and the roles that Chalobah suits best are already filled by three more highly invested assets.
Concern for Cobham-Pure Profit
Chalobah’s exile accentuates the terrible precedent being set for Chelsea’s youth academy. Recent business decisions highlight how Clearlake Capital, Chelsea’s consortium owner, view Cobham as a means for producing ‘pure profit’ rather than homegrown talents for the first team.
Since academy graduates have no transfer fee attached to them – all the money quoted from their departures can go straight into the books instead of being allocated toward a transfer amortization. In other words, Chelsea’s new owners are increasingly utilizing Cobham sales for ‘pure profit’ to balance their books amidst strict profit and sustainability rules. Chalobah’s gradual exclusion from the squad correlates with earlier reports that he could be on his way out, furthering the ‘pure profit’ agenda.
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Chelsea’s 2024 summer transfer window already includes another significant Cobham departure after Ian Maatsen joined Premier League rivals Aston Villa. Despite an amazing loan spell at UCL finalists Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea decided to cash in on their £37.5m asset before he could even be assessed in preseason. Similar concern surrounds Conor Gallagher’s future as yet another Cobham graduate rumoured to be sold as ‘pure profit.’
Trevoh Chalobah’s Future
Chalobah’s exclusion from the preseason squad is the most telltale sign that his future will likely be away from Chelsea. Fabrizio Romano also suggests that he is expected to leave, but only for another shot at European football. Romano has also reported that “Chelsea are ready to sell Trevoh Chalobah for £30/35m.” He also said: “3 Premier League clubs plus clubs playing in European football made initial contact.”
A similar story unravelled last offseason after Chelsea accepted a £25m proposal from Nottingham Forest, only for it to be rejected by the player himself whose preferred move to Bayern Munich collapsed.
