Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah could still have a future at the club after being given a new role by manager Graham Potter, despite being linked with an exit from the Blues in January.
Chalobah has made just one appearance all season, playing the full 90 minutes in the 2-1 victory against Leicester City last month, after the summer arrivals of Kalidou Koulibaly and Wesley Fofana pushed him further down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge.
But the 23-year-old may have been handed a lifeline to resurrect his Chelsea career after new manager Potter played him in a new position during a behind closed doors friendly win last week.
Following successive postponements to Premier League fixtures against Fulham and Liverpool, coupled with the arrival of the two-week international break, the Blues faced Brighton & Hove Albion in a friendly last week in order to give players some valuable minutes.
Potter looked to see some of the players who didn’t start his first game in charge against RB Salzburg when they lined up against his former club, with Chalobah being one of those to be selected by the 47-year-old - although this time in an unfamiliar role.
The Athletic have reported that Chalobah featured in the midfield role typically filled by Jorginho during the friendly against Brighton, which may well have opened up an alternative route for the player to pursue should he aim to resurrect his career with the Blues.
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Chalobah was flanked on either side of the midfield three by Conor Gallagher and deadline day signing Denis Zakaria in that 2-1 victory, and his performance may have given Potter plenty of food for thought ahead of Chelsea’s hectic schedule over the next six weeks.
The Blues are scheduled to play 13 fixtures between October 1 - November 12, meaning squad depth will be more important than ever with plenty of players expected to be rotated in order to keep things as fresh as possible throughout the side.
N’Golo Kante is yet to make a full recovery from his injury, while Mateo Kovacic and Jorginho cannot be expected to start every one of those games, meaning Chalobah’s chances could now become more frequent with his new role.
The centre back impressed in his 30 appearances across all competitions last season under Thomas Tuchel and even started both the Carabao Cup and FA Cup final defeats to Liverpool, meaning he is very much prepared for first team action and can be called upon when needed.
However, despite the departures of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen this summer, the arrivals of Koulibaly and Fofana have ensured that he still remains as fifth-choice centre back, with Thiago Silva and even Cesar Azpilicueta ahead of him in the pecking order.
That has prompted plenty of links to a January exit for the 23-year-old, with reports claiming that Aston Villa could look to make a swoop in the new year, while former Blues boss Jose Mourinho is also looking at bringing him to the Italian capital after failing to do so in the summer.
