Chelsea have recalled defender Trevoh Chalobah from his loan at Crystal Palace, months after forcing him out of the club, according to David Ornstein.
Chalobah was part of the Chelsea ‘bomb squad’ in the summer transfer window, being deemed surplus to requirements by new head coach Enzo Maresca.
It was viewed as a harsh decision at the time but Crystal Palace benefitted, landing him on a season-long loan.
The Eagles are set to lose Chalobah six months into his loan, with Chelsea deciding to recall him after Wesley Fofana suffered another long-term injury, while Benoit Badiashile is also out.
According to The Athletic correspondent David Ornstein, the Blues have ‘activated a clause to recall’ the 25-year-old and view him as an ‘important’ player for the second half of 2024/25.
Chalobah is set to return to his parent club ‘with immediate effect’ after playing 14 times for Crystal Palace.
Oliver Glasner’s side appear to have accepted the situation with grace, with ‘a good relationship between all parties’ helping.
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Maresca drafted in 18-year-old defender Josh Acheampong for his Premier League debut against Palace on January 4 and he again started against Bournemouth on Tuesday night.
He played centre-back alongside Levi Colwill against the Cherries, with Tosin Adarabioyo starting on the bench after scoring an unlikely brace against Morecambe in the FA Cup on Saturday.
Acheampong starting in centre-back for two matches in a row justifies Chelsea’s decision to recall Chalobah, but it still leaves a sour taste considering how they treated their academy graduate last summer.
Chalobah was signed after Palace sold Joachim Andersen to London rivals Fulham, with Chadi Riad and Maxence Lacroix also joining the club.
Palace will now be without the defender for Wednesday night’s Premier League match against Leicester City.
Glasner’s side are currently 15th in the Premier League with 21 points after 20 games.
Chelsea dropped more points at home to Bournemouth on Tuesday, salvaging a draw thanks to a Reece James free-kick in the 95th minute.
The Blues should have been out of sight by half-time but Nicolas Jackson missed several big chances after Cole Palmer’s brilliant opener.
Maresca said after the 2-2 draw: “I think first half we completely deserved to win the game. We should have scored three goals. When we conceded in the second half, we dropped. We deserved to win the game when we created so many chances.
“It was one of the best parts of the season in the first half. We were aggressive and the chances we created. We are a bit unlucky in scoring goals. We miss and then we concede. We need to continue. The bad thing, as I said, is that after the penalty, we drop and there is no reason we need to do that.
“The game was completely in our control and it’s something we need to improve.
“I have concerns always even when we are winning matches. This is the Premier League, when you don’t create chances and don’t score then you have to be more concerned.”
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