How Nathaniel Chalobah made the grade to fulfill his 'dream' of playing for England, poster boy of a new era

Nathaniel Chalobah’s inclusion in Gareth Southgate’s senior squad is the latest marker, but by no means the last, in an international career that has already lasted almost 10 years.

Chalobah has an unmatchable record for the England teams, with 96 caps since his under-16 debut back in 2008. He won the European Under-17 Championship in Liechtenstein in 2010, he went to the 2011 Under-17 World Cup, and he made three England squads for European Under-21 Championships, in 2013, 2015 and 2017, the middle of which was managed by Southgate himself.

That hard work is a big part of why Chalobah is in this squad, along with Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford who has been with him for so much of the way. “It is a nod to the summer,” Southgate explained at his press conference at St George’s Park today, “Nathaniel and Jordan were our two best player at the Under-21 championship. Also they have great international experience in various age groups. It is a great opportunity for Nathaniel and well-deserved as much as anything for his commitment to England throughout.”

But the one thing Chalobah was missing before this season was regular Premier League football. He had been loaned out six times by Chelsea but Southgate had impressed upon him the importance of regular top flight football if he was to be part of the senior squad. So when Chalobah returned to Chelsea this summer, and Antonio Conte asked him to go on a seventh loan, he said no, and was sold to Watford instead.

And when Chalobah made his Premier League debut for Watford, in the 3-3 draw against Liverpool at Vicarage Road on opening day, England assistant Steve Holland was there to watch. “Over the three or four years I’ve worked with him, we have talked about the importance of first team football,” Southgate explained. “He has had some really varied experiences, some good, some not so good. At Napoli he hardly played but as a life experience, a learning experience, tactically, it was a brilliant experience for him. And he’s started extremely well at Watford.”

open image in gallery

At Napoli Chalobah learned Italian as well as playing under the tactically specific coach Maurizio Sarri, who would drill his players in precise positioning every day. It showed a new way of playing to Chalobah and put him in good stead for when he was part of Antonio Conte’s Chelsea squad last season, where he made enough appearances to win a Premier League medal.

Chalobah is an intelligent midfielder who can sit in front of the back four but also has the legs to burst forward and get in the box. He could have scored twice when Watford won at Bournemouth last Saturday. England are not exactly well-stocked in central midfield, and only have Eric Dier, Jake Livermore and Jordan Henderson for that area in this 28-man squad. Chalobah can also fill in at centre-back.

If Chalobah continues his good form for Watford then he has every chance of being an important part of Southgate’s squad for the World Cup next summer. “Although he’s a younger player who doesn’t have a lot of Premier League experience, he’s tactically intelligent,” Southgate explained. “We have had a lot of opportunities to work with him, so we know him inside-out in terms of what he can bring. He has good leadership qualities even though he’s young, sometimes you have younger players who can play with experience because they’ve worked the game out quite quickly.”

In his performances at the Under-21s this summer Chalobah showed that he has done exactly that. He enjoyed the routine competition of an international tournament and returned to England determined to take the next step, having left age-group football behind with his head held high.

“This summer was a positive experience for me personally, because I had been to an Under-21 championship twice and been knocked out in group stages,” Chalobah told ‘The Independent’ in an interview earlier this month. “So I was pleased to go a step further. We have left a mark for the next age group to try to push on and win it.” And what of a potential move into Southgate’s senior set-up? “That’s the dream, let’s see how it pans out.”