Chalobah: Leaving Chelsea was one of the hardest decisions I had to make.
Watford‘s latest signing Nathaniel Chalobah has posted a goodbye message on social media to his former club Chelsea thanking them for their role in his development as a footballer.
Chalobah, 22, came through the Blues’ highly successful youth academy before turning professional in 2012 and spent six loan spells away from the club at Watford, Nottingham Forest, Middlesbrough, Burnley, Reading and Napoli.
Finally, he established himself as a member of the Blues’ first-team squad last season, making ten Premier League appearances and 15 across all competitions as Antonio Conte’s men won the title.
However, with Tiemoue Bakayoko closing in on a move to Stamford Bridge from Monaco, Chalobah was allowed to join the Hornets for £5.5m to join the Marco Silva revolution in Hertfordshire.
Taking to Instagram, Chalobah said: “Wow. It has been a very emotional few days for me. Leaving Chelsea after 12 years was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make.
“To the staff members that taught me my trade from the age of 10, the cooks, the physios, the doctors and masseurs that looked after me, the managers I’ve worked under, the world class players I’ve played with and finally the fans that have always supported me.”
While rarely a starter, Chalobah was a useful squad member for Chelsea, helping to see games out as a substitute, averaging an 83% pass accuracy rate and winning 48% of his duels last season.
A veteran of 97 youth caps for England including 40 for the Under-21s, Chalobah will be hoping to force his way into contention for the senior side if he can impress at Vicarage Road.
Chalobah enjoyed a successful spell with Watford previously during the 2012-13 season, playing 38 times and scoring five goals in the Championship as they reached the play-off final.
Comments
Post a Comment