Brothers in blue Nathaniel and Trevoh both made great strides in their development this weekend with good performances from both in their respective Chelsea teams.
Big brother Nathaniel started off the week with his 32nd cap for England‘s Under-21s, and the honour of leading his country out as captain for the first time at that level. Unfortunately for Chelsea’s number 29, he was substituted at half time after suffering an injury in the dying embers of the first half. It appears his withdrawal was simply a precautionary measure though, as Chalobah was fully available for selection this weekend.
With his injury scare resulting in nothing, Nathaniel was once again called upon from the bench by Antonio Conte, replacing Pedro in the 68th Minute. The 21 year old is seeing his playing time at Chelsea gradually increasing. After finally making his first-team debut in the EFL cup against Leicester in the Cup and his Premier League debut in the game against Hull, Chalobah proved his qualities with a fine display against the reigning Champions.
Aside from his great range of passing and his oozing composure, Chalobah’s mark on the match was most notable in his combination play with Moses, when his incredible back-heel exquisitely guided the ball into the Nigerian’s path for him to score Chelsea’s third and final goal. It was an all-round good 20 minutes for Chalobah as he stakes a claim for more game-time under Conte.
But as we already know, Nathaniel isn’t the only Chalobah catching the eye at his boyhood club as Trevoh is matching his brother stride for stride so far. Much like his elder brother, Trevoh is playing way above his age group already, for both club and country. At the tender age of just 17, Chalobah is already a regular starter for Chelsea’s under-23s and formed a part of England’s under-19 squad during the week.
However, this Friday’s Premier League Two clash, also against a Leicester side, saw Trevoh mirror Nathaniel’s Chelsea career even further, as he made the step forward from central defence into holding midfield. And what a display it was. The 17 year old looked as though it was a position he had played his whole life, screening the defence and using his imposing figure to enforce the midfield. He controlled the play with what seems to be an innate Chalobah ability to find space, and his range and quality of passing was just as impressive.
The brothers are healthily competitive about the trophies and accolades they have both won in the Chelsea ranks, as Nathaniel joked about what Trevoh still needs to do to match his feats. At Trevoh’s age, Nathaniel had just embarked on his meandering trail of loan moves, joining Chelsea hero Gianfranco Zola at Watford. Chelsea are evidently fans of the loan system in terms of developing players but time will tell if Trevoh is set to benefit from experience away from the club in a similar way to his big brother, or if Chelsea want him to continue his development by staying at the club.
Though the two brothers are clearly similar, both in terms of their youth careers so far and even in their style of play, the pair of them have different qualities they can add to the team. Nathaniel, having stepped into the midfield form defence at a young age just like Trevoh, can play as a holding midfielder or even a little further forward, with an eye for attacking and creativity, as he showcased on Saturday with his assist. Trevoh, despite his young age, has proven himself as an asset at centre half, both sides of full back and now in the holding midfield role. The two dream of playing together at Chelsea one day, and with Nathaniel breaking into the first-team and Trevoh hot on his heels, The Chalobahs might be the new brothers on the block in the Premier league in the not too distant future.
