Trevoh Chalobah was in New York when he found out he was going to be a part of it. But when Thomas Tuchel tried to spread the news, there was a delay. Chalobah was in Times Square. It wasn’t until he returned to his hotel that he discovered Tuchel was in touch. Chalobah was about to have a holiday. He was going to be included in England’s World Cup 2026 squad.
“I was shocked,” the defender explained. “When I saw the message, he asked if I was free to call, and I said yes. We spoke on FaceTime and he broke the news to me. I was just pleased. Chalobah became England’s 27th man to benefit from Tino Leveramento’s misfortune. When the Newcastle full-back crashed out of the tournament, Chalobah was the one who replaced him.
He remembered his reaction. “I just called my family and called my agent. It was early in the morning, so I texted my agent and said, ‘Wake up, wake up,'” she said. “He thought I was in trouble or something.”
Chalobah was not selected in the first round.
Instead, it was the opposite, as in Touchell’s contact. The England manager had initially been the dispenser of bad news. Chalobah was not selected in the first round. And yet there was hope. “He said, ‘You’re close,'” she recalled. “I was disappointed that I couldn’t make it but he said, ‘Be prepared.'”
Chalobah also remained nearby. It was an apt choice of holiday destination. The city where England will face Panama, where they will probably play the World Cup final. Chaluba was keeping himself in shape.
He held sessions in New York and had his own personal trainer. But he had given away his boots at the end of the season and had to fast-track his requests with his sponsors for a new pair.
But he was also trying to switch off. “Before New York, I was in Monaco for F1 – I went there this weekend – then I went to Cannes,” he said. I was just enjoying my vacation before I left for New York on Saturday.
He planned to cross to America. Los Angeles was going to be his next destination. He is still checking to see if his hotel in California is refundable. “I’m still trying to get my money back,” he said with a smile.
Even if he doesn’t, he can accept it. Chalobah has now realised that wish. In 2018, when the teenager joined League One Ipswich on loan, he posted a picture of himself with the World Cup on social media, captioned “one day”. Eight years later, he reflected: “It’s always been a dream and that day I decided to tweet it.”
He hopes that day will come when he plays against Ghana in Boston. He is ready to join. Paddling for two hours with Ivan Toni and Ezri Konsa is part of his bid to speed it up. Chaluba won, he reported. Which one is a contender for a place: While the 26-year-old is versatile, Tuchel has told him he sees his role as a right-sided centre-back.
And Tuchel is well aware of this fact. “We have this really fun, happy relationship, and I love it,” Chaluba said. He made his first appearances for both Chelsea and England while Tuchel was in charge. Tuchel also wanted to take him to Bayern Munich. “We’ve always had this special relationship.”
Others have not always been so convinced of Chaluba’s merits. He has spent time in the Chelsea bomb squad, with their owners seeing their academy product as an opportunity to make a net profit in the PSR era. But he has always found a way back into controversy.
He played 47 matches last season. He also hopes to play a role under Xabi Alonso. He has yet to speak to the Spanish. But Alonso should admire the fighting spirit of a player who has always responded to setbacks.
“I love my career,” Chaluba said. “It’s not just part of football but going through life as a person; there are always ups and downs, and it’s never smooth sailing, but for me, I’ve loved every minute.”
Getting his World Cup call-up, he said, was “No. 1″ in his career so far. It was even more special because he had faced the disappointment of not starting in 26.
I think that’s the beautiful thing about it,” he smiled. When you don‘t expect it and get a call like that, it shows that when you think it’s all over, it can still happen. I proved that tweet to be true.”
