Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior has delivered an injury update on defender Trevoh Chalobah after the England international was stretchered off in agony during Tuesday night’s Champions League clash against Paris Saint-Germain.
Chalobah was forced off in the 85th minute following a late challenge from PSG’s Achraf Hakimi. Speaking to TNT Sports immediately after Chelsea’s 8-2 aggregate defeat and exit from the last-16 stage, Rosenior revealed the initial diagnosis.
“I just asked the medical team – he’s got a high ankle sprain,” the Chelsea manager said. “I’m praying it’s nothing too serious because of the way Trevoh has been performing and we can’t afford to lose another defender at this moment.”
The news capped a nightmare evening for the Blues. Goals from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Bradley Barcola and Senny Mayulu sealed an emphatic victory for PSG, who proved far superior across both legs of the tie.
Former Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole pulled no punches in his assessment on TNT Sports, describing the result as a stark reality check for the club.
“That is a real leveller of where this club is compared to Paris,” Cole said. “PSG are the gold standard, they are the champions of Europe, but it showed that Chelsea are a million miles away over the course of two legs.
“This isn’t a Liam Rosenior problem. Liam’s doing what he’s doing – he’s just come through the door. This is a problem with strategy and the direction of where the club are going. This is a real eye-opener to where we are as a club at the moment.
“There’s a lot of money being spent and we need to really think of what we’re doing and how we’re doing it. That’s simply not good enough.
“There’s 20-year-olds and 19-year-olds on the pitch today. There’s time to grow, improve and get better. They’ll have better nights in their career. But as a football club, you’ve got to go football club first, not business first. Simple as that, or else you’ll get performances like that.”
With their Champions League campaign over, the FA Cup now represents Chelsea’s only remaining chance of silverware this season. They have been handed a favourable quarter-final draw at home to League One strugglers Port Vale, though Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool remain in the competition.
Chelsea also face a fight to secure a top-five finish and Champions League qualification for next term. Sitting sixth in the Premier League table – just one point behind fifth-placed Liverpool – the Blues know their European hopes could still be kept alive depending on the final standings of English clubs in Europe.