Marina Granovskaia gifts Thomas Tuchel a Chelsea Christmas saviour to avoid £25m Serie A regret

Amid Chelsea's unresolved defensive contract tussle is soothed by the incredible breakthrough of Trevoh Chalobah under Thomas Tuchel in...

Amid Chelsea's unresolved defensive contract tussle is soothed by the incredible breakthrough of Trevoh Chalobah under Thomas Tuchel in standout Brentford performance.

It speaks to Trevoh Chalobah's level of importance since August that he was seen as one of the experienced heads in Chelsea's almost unrecognisable lineup starting at Brentford's Community Stadium on Wednesday evening. You flashback to the UEFA Super Cup against Villarreal in Belfast four months ago and Chalobah was making his competitive debut after an impressive pre-season where he went from outsider to a valued squad member.

Chalobah's smooth integration into the first team is not only a further vindication of Cobham but also the loan system. Marina Granovskaia contract call that will hopefully avoid a Serie A repeat, that's frustrated supporters over the past 12 months. Chalobah was arguably the standout player on a night where Tuchel's stretched squad due to COVID and injury overcame a motivated Brentford to reach the last four of the League Cup for the first time since 2019.

Sat in the middle of a back-three with Cesar Azpilicueta and Malang Sarr on either side of him. Seven clearances, two interceptions and three out of four aerial duels won detailed a busy night for Chalobah where the 22-year-old secured his seventh clean sheet of the season playing in Tuchel's back trio. His performance only becomes more impressive when you factor in his own fitness concerns after being forced off injured away at Wolves on Sunday, becoming a doubt for Wednesday's clash.

Chalobah's diligent work is seemingly always emphatic but never frantic or rash. There's a calming method to the way he goes about his defensive duties, scanning his environment before quickly snapping into a challenge to nullify the danger. On a night where Tuchel gave debuts to three fresh-faced academy figures, Chalobah was proof of the value of youth integration, also the end product of a number of smart loans to gain invaluable senior experience away from Stamford Bridge.

Even with the defensive contract doubt over others that looks unlikely to gain any resolution before the end of 2021, Marina Granovskaia was able to sit alongside Chalobah as he penned a new five- year deal at the start of November. That move secures his future and given his continued importance for Tuchel it looks likely that the contract is fulfilled rather than attracting a fee.

If you compare Chalobah's breakthrough to another young defender in Fikayo Tomori two years ago, there was great hope he could become a linchpin of defence after such a bright start. Instead after a bizarre drop from the team under Frank Lampard in the second half of the 2019/20 season he was loaned out to AC Milan back in January before the Serie A giants triggered a £25m option to buy in June.

This came after a five-year deal was penned in December 2019 at Chelsea in a similar fashion to Chalobah, only a few months after his first-team breakthrough under Lampard. Tomori's departure was hard to take the English defender's continuing rise as one of Europe's most talented players continuing to flourish elsewhere is a bittersweet event.

Chelsea, Tuchel and Granovskaia will be hoping there is no Tomori repeat with Chalobah in the next 12 months, securing a defender who has all the capability to be a trusted figure in defence for many years to come.