Chelsea First Team Player Receives Late World Cup Call Up

Tomorrow, the 17th of June, Chelsea defender Reece James and England will finally kick off their World Cup campaign when they face Croatia in Group L.

The skipper was notably the only Chelsea player named in the squad by former Blues manager Thomas Tuchel. The likes of Levi Colwill and Cole Palmer were not named in the 26 man squad and were subsequently left at home.

However, in the end, there will be one more Chelsea representative. Indeed, as Trevoh Chalobah has been called up as a late replacement for Cobham graduate Tino Livramento, who has pulled out with an injury.

When the squad was selected last month, the right back had not played in over a month, so some were surprised he was even called up to begin with. He was able to play 45 minutes in a warm up friendly, but will not be fit enough for the tournament. 

Truth be told, many - including Chelsea fans - are surprised by this inclusion. Many would assume Trent Alexander-Arnold of Real Madrid would have been called up instead, or even a versatile player such as James Garner of Everton.

Realistically, Chalobah himself would be the first to admit that he has not had the best season, like a lot of his team mates. In the Premier League last season, he played 34 times, starting 31 of those, and you can probably count on one hand how many times he played well. 

Nevertheless, it is pretty cool for him personally. Whilst one Cobham graduate drops out in Livramento, another one comes in, in Chalobah. Some had hoped it would be another Cobham player in Lewis Hall that came in, which just goes to show how many top class players the Chelsea academy produces.

David Ornstein reports that the 26-year old will not be available for the opener against Croatia, which makes sense given it is is pretty soon. He will however be available for the next two group games against Ghana and Panama, as well as the knockout stages, should England progress (not guaranteed based on how bad the squad is, to be honest). 

The clash with Ghana will take place on the 23rd at 21:00 BST, before the final group game against Panama on the 27th at 22:00. Good luck to both him and James - the latter of whom should start against Croatia. Great to see Cobham represented on the world stage.