Chelsea face Manchester City in the FA Cup final at Wembley on Saturday, and Trevoh Chalobah says the game gives the club a chance to end the season with silverware. The defender called the final meaningful for both players and fans as Chelsea prepare for their 17th final in the world’s oldest domestic cup competition.
“This final means a lot,” Chalobah said, adding that Chelsea have been up and down at Wembley in recent years and want to win this one. “It’s time for us to grab it with both hands and give it our all. It has not been the season we wanted, but we have the chance to win a trophy. We know how big the FA Cup is, and to win three trophies in two years would be an achievement.”
For Chalobah, the final also carries a personal history that began long before he reached the first team. He joined Chelsea at eight years old and was already training with the senior squad in the 2017/18 season before the club’s FA Cup final against Manchester United. The day before that final, Andreas Christensen was injured and Chalobah was told he would be part of the match-day squad.
He said the moment caught him by surprise. “It was a day that I didn’t expect,” Chalobah said. “Andreas Christensen got injured the day before the final, and I was told that I would be part of the squad. That day alone was amazing for my family and me. Coming into the final, I thought I’d be in the stands, never mind on the bench.”
Chalobah said seeing his name in the squad list and walking out for the warm-ups at Wembley felt unreal. It was his first time at the stadium, and he said the occasion did not feel overwhelming because he had been training with the first team through the second half of the campaign. He received a medal in 2018, which remains his first senior trophy.
“When I saw my name listed as part of the match-day squad, it was an amazing feeling. Walking out for the warm-ups at Wembley was like a dream,” he said. “It was my first time at Wembley, but because I had been training with the first team during the second half of the season, it wasn’t so daunting. I felt ready. I got a medal that day – and it was my first senior trophy.”
That team gave him a close-up view of some of Chelsea’s biggest names, including N’Golo Kante, Cesc Fabregas, Eden Hazard and Olivier Giroud. Chalobah said Toni Rudiger was especially important to him that season, helping him with training and with being around the group. He now sees echoes of that experience in his own place within the squad, where younger players are following the path he once walked.
“Being around those top players at that time, and getting my hands on the trophy, experiencing all that as a young player, was really good for me,” Chalobah said. “The likes of N’Golo Kante, Cesc Fabregas, Eden Hazard and Olivier Giroud were all in the dressing room that day, and Toni Rudiger was amazing with me. I became really close with him that season; he helped me a lot with training and being in and around the team.”
He added: “I see some similarities today, except the roles have reversed. Obviously, with the young players we have in the squad, I can see myself in that role this time around.” With Chelsea trying to salvage their campaign at Wembley, the final offers a familiar stage and a clear reward: one more trophy, and a season that has fallen short can end with something to show for it.
