Chalobah's journey from unwanted to undroppable

• Trevoh Chalobah has starred for Chelsea in the Club World Cup knockouts
• Defender was previously surplus to requirements at the Blues
• He'll aim to cap a meteoric six months by securing global glory against PSG

The last time Chelsea FC travelled to the United States, Trevoh Chalobah was sat at home and on the hunt for a new challenge. The centre-back wasn’t included in their pre-season squad last July, and was reportedly sent to train with the club’s development squad as a move was sought.

On 30 August 2024, Chalobah, who joined the Blues at the age of eight, was sent out on loan to fellow Premier League outfit Crystal Palace. He starred at Selhurst Park, playing 12 league matches out of a possible 14, while scoring a memorable goal in a victory against Brighton.

In January of this year, however, the call for home came. Injuries to Benoit Badiashile and Wesley Fofana left Chelsea’s backline threadbare, paving the way for Chalobah’s return.

"It wasn't necessarily [about having] a point to prove because I've been at Chelsea the last three years and played in the Champions League and Premier League," he told the Football Daily Podcast in June. “It [was] nothing to prove, for me it was about getting games and showing my quality.”

And show his quality he most certainly did. The 26-year-old played 19 times in the second half of the season, including the full 90 in the UEFA Conference League final as Chelsea clinched the title, and he also impressed as Chelsea qualified for the UEFA Champions League with a late-season surge.

"It was important for me to show what I can do in every game and every training session,” he added. “Coming back, knowing the team and the manager I slotted in easily and wanted to show the level I can get to.”

Those performances earned him England recognition for the first time as Thomas Tuchel – who gave the defender his Chelsea debut in the 2021 UEFA Super Cup – selected him for the June internationals and handed him his bow in a friendly against Senegal.

"What a week!" Chalobah told Chelsea's official website after his maiden call-up. "To win a trophy with my club, and to then follow that up with my first senior England call-up is really special. Playing for my country is something that’s been a goal of mine for a few seasons now, so I’m really happy."

Chalobah rode into these finals on the crest of a wave, and while competition for places saw him feature just once in the groups, he was called upon to play right-back for 35 minutes against SL Benfica and helped the Blues storm into the quarter-finals.

He maintained his place for the last-eight tussle with Palmeiras and made his presence felt just 16 minutes in. Striding out of defence, the centre-back – whose ability on the ball has become a strong point of his game – spotted a gap in the Brazilian outfit's tightly packed midfield and threaded an eye-of-the-needle pass into Cole Palmer. With the ball fed on to his stronger left foot, he took it in his stride and slotted home the opener in an eventual 2-1 win.

Fluminense FC were the Blues' opponents in the semi-finals, with Chalobah coming up against one of his "idols" in former Chelsea defender Thiago Silva. He remained unbowed and put in a display even the great Brazilian would have been proud of, completing 100 per cent of his 54 passes, while leading the Blues in blocks, recoveries and interceptions as they advanced with a 2-0 win.

“It feels amazing. From day one that was our goal, to reach the final, and now we’ve done it,” Chalobah told FIFA. “So we don’t stop here; we get ready and focus for the next game, but it’s an amazing feeling to go through."

The Blues will now take on Paris Saint-Germain at MetLife Stadium in New York New Jersey on 13 July. Just shy of one year to the day since his pre-season exclusion, Chalobah could return from the same nation as a world champion.