12 months ago, Chelsea were pursuing a highly talented defender in the final few weeks of the summer transfer window.
There was a general confidence a deal would get done. That was for Jules Kounde from Sevilla and well, we all know how that ended. The after effect of the French defender not signing before deadline day aided the emergence of Trevoh Chalobah over the summer of 2021.
The academy graduate remained in Thomas Tuchel's plans rather than being sent on another loan, and he proved to be a bright light in a challenging campaign that ended in a change in ownership.
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Chalobah now faces another crossroads as Chelsea chase another young defender before the deadline. This time its Wesley Fofana, and although Leicester are demanding a high fee, there is similar confidence to Kounde that something can be done. How well-founded that confidence remains to be seen.
Should Fofana get done, there is a growing belief that Chalobah will ask for a move away over concerns regarding his playing time.
And given he played no part in the opening two games of the season it is easy to see why. Couple that with the end of last season when he weirdly was dropped by Tuchel amid a run of defensive mistakes from Cesar Azpilicueta, the player he usually replaced in the German's back-three, the future does not look as bright for Chalobah as it did 12 months ago.
The numbers from Chalobah's breakthrough season were highly encouraging. From the 31 appearances, Chalobah was undefeated in 90 minutes, only losing the two shootouts to Liverpool in the Carabao and FA Cup finals. Justifying why CIES Football Observatory values the 23-year-old at £33m after gaining over 1,000 minutes in England's top flight.
In both games, Chalobah came up against one of Europe's most dangerous attacking trios and kept a clean sheet. It was a sign that despite some mistakes in other games, Chalobah was more than capable of raising his level against elite opposition.
Even with Tuchel's trust in Azpilicueta, bringing Chalobah back for the FA Cup final in May was still a big vote of confidence.
But now Chalobah sits on the fringes. When Tuchel did make a change to his back-three against Spurs last weekend, he brought in Ruben Loftus-Cheek to play at wingback, shifting Reece James next to Thiago Silva and Kalidou Koulibaly. And when Tuchel did opt to bring a defender off the bench for Jorginho in the second half, it was Azpilicueta.
It is unknown whether at this late stage of the window a demand for a loan would be accepted given the numbers Tuchel would want across the season. But a fringe role this season would feel like a significant backwards step after such an encouraging start.
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