Nathaniel Chalobah making most of West Brom second chance after transfer twist
Nathaniel Chalobah may look back on his display against Plymouth Argyle on Saturday (22 October) as a turning point in his West Brom career.
The 28-year-old has not had the best time of things since arriving at The Hawthorns in January, it is fair to say, not helped by injury problems.
Either side of sustaining a season-ending injury in April, Chalobah has struggled to truly win over Albion supporters.
In many ways, the former Chelsea midfielder’s lack of consistency has been the theme of his entire career to date, as harsh as that may sound.
But after getting the nod over Okay Yokuslu and Jayson Molumby against Plymouth, Chalobah showed he deserves to start more often.
Chalobah was one of only two West Brom players to have a shot on target in the stalemate, while also registering a couple of tackles and completing 86% of his passes [WhoScored].
One of those tackles earned the midfielder strong praise from Birmingham Live reporter Joe Chapman, who Tweeted (21 October): “Wow, some tackle from Chalobah on [Jordan] Houghton.”
Indeed, even manager Carlos Corberan hailed Chalobah for his “brave” performance, even if it came in an uneventful goalless home draw.
It must be remembered that, had things panned out differently, the one-cap England international would not even be at The Hawthorns this season.
A move to Maccabi Haifa is reported to have fallen through in the summer window [Express & Star, 22 July], and Chalobah has had to remain patient for his big chance to impress.
On the basis of what he produced against Plymouth, it surely will not be another two months before he starts another Championship match.
In other West Brom news, the Baggies are reportedly targeting a move for a potential future star.