Chelsea man has Ipswich Town relegation on his CV but Portman Road witnessed his class | OneFootball

Trevoh Chalobah spent the 2018/19 season on loan with Ipswich Town

The 2018/19 campaign for Ipswich Town was a tough one, to say the least, with the Tractor Boys finishing plumb last in the Championship as they were relegated to League One, though they had one shining light.

Ipswich are among one of the most historic clubs in England, yet their 2018/19 season fell flat of all expectations.

Initially under the guidance of Paul Hurst, the Tractor Boys had finished in a respectable 12th place in the second tier the season prior under Mick McCarthy, and headed into the new campaign looking to build upon those solid foundations.

The likes of Kayden Jackson, Ellis Harrison, and Gwion Edwards all joined on permanent deals, whilst Matthew Pennington, Tayo Edun, Jordan Graham, and Jonathan Walters all joined on loan.

Ipswich looked well-prepared for another solid season in the Championship, but as it transpired, it turned into a horror-season for the Suffolk-based outfit.

With little to shout about across the campaign, there was one shining light who has gone on to establish himself as one of the best players in his position in the Premier League.

Trevoh Chalobah spent the 2018/19 season on loan with Ipswich Town and was a beacon of light

Alongside the four aforementioned loan players to make the move to Portman Road that summer, Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah also made the journey to Suffolk on loan for the campaign.

Born in the West African nation of Sierra Leone, Chalobah and his family moved to London at a young age and joined the Chelsea academy at the age of eight, progressing through the Blues' youth ranks all the way to the first team.

Having yet to have played a professional game in his career, the defender joined Championship club Ipswich on loan for the season, where he would instantly become a mainstay in the side.

At this point in his career, Chalobah had not nailed down a position and was primarily used as a defensive midfielder, often partnering either a young Flynn Downes, Teddy Bishop, or Cole Skuse in the base of the midfield.

The former England youth international played every single minute of Ipswich's first five league games of the season, scoring in a 1-1 draw at home to Aston Villa, and would continue to be used regularly despite the dismissal of Hurst and the arrival of Paul Lambert.

It was clear from the outset that Chalobah was a more defensive-minded player than one who would create and get forward, with his 261 duels won, as per FotMob, alongside his 279 recoveries across the Championship campaign among the most in the entire division.

His 48 successful dribbles from deep across the campaign, twinned with his 44 fouls won, suggested that, even at his early age, he possessed the confidence and ability to pick the ball up from further back before attempting to progress the ball up the pitch.

Playing as a defensive-midfielder for the entirety of the season without a doubt served the Englishman well for when he would eventually move further back for Chelsea, elevating his ball-playing ability and confidence when in possession and under pressure.

Unfortunately for Ipswich and for Chalobah, Lambert's arrival did little in the way of helping their relegation fight, and instead only cemented their fate, as the Tractor Boys finished rock bottom of the Championship table and were relegated to League One.

It was a truly miserable campaign for Ipswich, who, alongside their mere five league wins all season, were comfortably beaten by bitter rivals Norwich City 3-0 at Carrow Road.

However, Chalobah remained a bright spark in what was a dark year for the Tractor Boys, who have both experienced much better fortunes since then.

Trevoh Chalobah has gone on to establish himself as one of Chelsea's most important players

After his loan spell with Ipswich, a stint in West Yorkshire with Huddersfield Town followed after the Terriers' relegation from the Premier League, where he would continue to be a regular in the second tier.

A switch to the French top flight with Lorient, once again on loan, succeeded his stay at the ACCU Stadium, where he would drop deeper to centre-back in the latter stages of the season and shone.

Chelsea took note, and Chalobah would become a valued first-team member of the Blues squad thereafter, and would remain at Stamford Bridge despite an array of home-grown talent leaving the club during that period, such as Fikayo Tomori, Marc Guehi, and Mason Mount.

It would take Chalobah a few years to cement himself as a first-choice option in West London, and after a brief loan spell with Crystal Palace, the England international finally nailed down a place in the heart of Chelsea's defence at 26-years-old.

Having joined the club at eight, it took Chalobah nearly 20 years before becoming a regular at his boyhood club, and now, among one of the best defenders in the Premier League, it was with Ipswich where he was provided the springboard to kickstart his professional journey.

Although his time in Suffolk went far from planned, his development there was undoubtedly crucial to his development as a player and as a person, with Ipswich catching the first glimpse of what was to come from Chalobah.