Chelsea FC took a very long time to release their USA preseason tour roster, but it’s finally out now. Trevoh Chalobah was not a part of it, and that just further solidifies the narrative that he’ll be leaving the club this summer.
According to a tweet from transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, “Chelsea told him to stay home and not travel for pre season. Tough call but club feel squad is heavy with Wesley Fofana, Axel Disasi, Tosin Adarabioyo in that position.”
Preseason Friendly FYIs
Wrexham AFC vs Chelsea FC
Kickoff (local time): wed July 24, 7:30 pm, Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, CA, USA
Chelsea Preview Content: Team News Part 1 Team News Part 2 Starting XI Prediction Transfer Talk
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
The 25-year-old right-sided center back may have featured 13 times in the league last season, under Mauricio Pochettino, but it’s clear now that there is no place for him in Enzo Maresca’s team. However, he won’t have any shortage of suitors, as numerous English clubs have been linked over the years.
Crystal Palace, West Ham United and Fulham have all been linked while Chalobah was living the dream, playing for his boyhood club. Both Nottingham Forest and Tottenham Hotspur made offers, but were knocked back. In other words, Chalobah has had numerous opportunities to leave Chelsea, but passed on them.
Moving on to another defender (and actually central defender sometimes too) who was surprisingly left out of the traveling party, Alfie Gilchrist is not a part of the 2024-25 plan either. The 20-year-old is expected to go out on loan. According to Romano, Gilchrist “has received two loan proposals from Preston and Sheffield United.”
It is going to be very busy rest of the transfer window at Stamford Bridge.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network and the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.