Nathaniel Chalobah became the Addicks’ sixth signing of the summer window when he put pen to paper on a one-year deal following a successful trial period with the club.
We take a closer look at the experienced midfielder’s journey, so far…
Chelsea
Chalobah joined Chelsea’s academy at the age of 10 and rose through the ranks, regularly captaining the Blues’ youth sides and leading their U18s to FA Youth Cup success in 2012.
During his time with Chelsea’s academy, he received regular international recognition with England, representing the U16s, U17s, U19s, U20s and U21s and was named as England’s Youth Player of the Year in 2012.
Chalobah made his first appearance on the bench for the first team at the age of 15 before embarking on a number of loan spells, taking in experiences in both the Championship and Serie A before making his breakthrough at Stamford Bridge during the 2016/17 season, finally making his senior debut for the Blues in an EFL Cup clash with Leicester City.
He would go on to make a total of 15 senior appearances for Chelsea, including 10 in the Premier League before his time in West London came to an end, earning himself a title-winners medal in the process.
Loan spells (Watford, Nottingham Forest, Middlesbrough, Burnley, Reading and Napoli)
Chalobah’s first taste of senior football came when he joined Watford on a season-long loan in the Championship in 2012/13.
An impressive campaign saw the then-18-year old rack up 42 appearances for the Hornets, netting five goals, as he helped them to a place in the play-off final.
A loan move to Nottingham Forest followed at the start of the 2013/14 campaign, making 12 appearances and scoring twice while at the City Ground, before joining Middlesbrough for another loan in January 2014, playing 19 times during the second half of the season.
The 2014/15 saw Chalobah join Premier League newcomers Burnley on loan, before making a January move to Reading in the Championship where he would add another 20 appearances to his tally.
Next up came switch to Italy with Napoli in Serie A, making his debut in a Europa League tie against Legia Warsaw. In total, the midfielder played nine times during his loan spell in Naples, scoring once.
Watford
Having gained a great amount of experience across six loan spells, Chalobah made a return to Watford in 2017, this time on a permanent basis and with the Hornets now in the Premier League.
Across four seasons at Vicarage Road, three of which came in the top flight, he totalled 127 appearances and netted nine goals, helping his side to an immediate promotion back to the Premier League in 2020/21.
Fulham
Chalobah’s next move saw him join Fulham in the summer of 2021, playing a key part in their promotion back to the Premier League in his first season with 22 appearances under his belt, before making a further six in the top flight during 2022/23.
West Bromwich Albion
The Hawthorn’s was the midfielder’s next destination, joining West Bromwich Albion in January 2023.
Across two seasons, Chalobah represented the Baggies on 49 occasions, scoring once.
Sheffield Wednesday
Following his exit from West Brom, Chalobah joined Sheffield Wednesday, once again in the Championship, making 31 appearances across two seasons, scoring twice.
Come the end of his time at Hillsborough at the end of last season, he has no racked up a career total of 314 senior appearances, all in the top two flights of English and Italian football.
International
After being heavily decorated at youth level for his country, Chalobah was named in England’s senior squad for the first time in 2017 for World Cup qualifiers against Malta and Slovakia.
He would have to wait until October 2018 to earn his senior cap, coming off the bench in a 3-2 victory over Spain in a UEFA Nations League match.
From a sporting family, his younger brother Trevoh also came through the ranks at Chelsea and has two senior England caps under his belt.
