Arsenal legend Ian Wright has heaped praise on Chelsea’s newest sensation Trevoh Chalobah after his dream debut against Crystal Palace.
Speaking to his own podcast, Ian Wright has offered his thoughts on Trevoh Chalobah’s rapid rise to prominence. The Arsenal legend believes he could be Chelsea’s next big star and has compared the youngster to a younger version of Virgil van Dijk.
The younger brother of another former Chelsea prodigy Nathaniel, Trevoh has become the talk of the town at Stamford Bridge following his dream debut against Crystal Palace. The 22-year-old centre-back scored a goal in his debut and helped his team secure a resounding 3-0 victory.
A native of Sierra Leone, Chalobah’s initial breakthrough came during the pre-season. He had performed well in the friendly matches and in the UEFA Super Cup final against Villarreal, leaving Thomas Tuchel highly impressed with his abilities.
Metro has recently published Ian Wright’s quotes over the youngster’s sensational story, with the former Arsenal star praising Chalobah for his performances with Chelsea, particularly in the friendly against Arsenal.
“Watching him against Arsenal, I was thinking, ‘wow, maybe it’s just a pre-season friendly he looks good’. I watched him against Villarreal [in the Super Cup] and I thought, ‘my god he’s really good’,” Wright said on Ringer FC’s Wrighty’s House podcast.
“You know what he reminded me of, not the same player, not the same stature, but the way Virgil Van Dijk when he played for Celtic, people said he’s just taking liberties just because he’s good and not in the same standard [as others]. I watched him play for Ipswich a couple of times where he played in that vein where you think I’d like to see him against better quality.”
Wright, who had scored 153 goals for Arsenal, went on to praise the 22-year-old for his defensive and technical abilities. “Anything that Mateta or Zaha did he [Chalobah] dealt with it, but then his progression with the ball, getting forward with the ball, his tackling, the goal, the emotion.”
Chalobah’s breakthrough could be a massive boon for a Chelsea side that is yet to succeed in the pursuit of top target Jules Kounde. It appears Thomas Tuchel is ready to spend the new season trusting the young defender as he looks to make a bigger impact and potentially emerge as an ideal long-term replacement for Thiago Silva.
