In Trevoh Chalobah, Ipswich Town have signed a natural leader, a fierce competitor and a young player with excellent distribution skills.
That’s the opinion of former Blues striker Sam Parkin, who has watched the Chelsea loanee on a regular basis in recent years in his role as a pundit for the Premier League club’s in-house television channel.
Parkin, a former Chelsea youth player who played for Ipswich in 2005/06, believes Chalobah has been a standout youngster at Stamford Bridge in recent years and has backed him to be a success at Portman Road either in the centre of defence or as a holding midfielder.
MORE: ‘That’s what Ipswich Town is all about’ - Ambrose excited by Blues’ crop of kids
“He’s a natural leader, having captained a lot of the teams and he’s an organiser,” Parkin said. “Despite first-and-foremost being a defender he has very good technique in the opposition area as well and is a threat from set pieces.
“The most important aspect of his game is his distribution and being able to play out from the back – that’s what I’d really highlight. He’s good on the ball, has a good range of passing and also has that lovely cross-field ball you see regularly if you watch Chelsea’s youth teams.
“He’s not afraid to hit 60 or 70 yard balls with pace and accuracy so that’s a big feature of his game.
“I’ve seen him play defensive midfield and that came a little bit leftfield for me because I’d not seen him play there before. It was Premier League 2 game and he was the best player on the pitch.
MORE: Watch Armando Dobra’s superb finish as Ipswich Town U18s beat Fulham
“He can play there no problem at all and can get on the ball and move it forward.
“If Hurst mirrors what he did at Shrewsbury then he could certainly play in the midfield role because that was his side’s identity.”
While Chalobah has areas of his game in which he needs to improve, Parkin fully expects the 19-year-old to go on and have a good career.
“To give it a bit of balance he can be a bit rash when trying to win the ball at times – and I’m being a bit critical in saying that,” he said.
“Sometimes he tries to win every ball and that comes with experience because in the Championship you will quickly learn there are some centre forwards you can’t do that with. He’ll have to learn when to drop off and concede possession.
MORE: Vincent-Young back at Colchester after Ipswich Town trial
“He’s a real competitor so I’m sure he will pick up some yellow cards. He’s aggressive but certainly not dirty.
“I think it’s always incredibly difficult to predict what will happen with these top young players when they go and play first-team football, but I’d be very surprised if he doesn’t go on to have a very good career.
“I’m sure it will have challenges, the Championship, but my instinct is the Ipswich fans will really enjoy watching him.
“He seems to have the temperament and that’s the big point. He’s got the temperament and the attitude to be a success.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here