World Cup 2026: Trevoh Chalobah reveals bizarre change of plans after Chelsea star's late England call-up | OneFootball

Chelsea defender replaced the injured Tino Livramento ahead of World Cup opener

Trevoh Chalobah has revealed the extraordinary story of his late call-up for the World Cup — and says he is still battling for a refund on a Los Angeles hotel stay he had to cancel as a result.

The Chelsea defender was a last-minute addition to Thomas Tuchel’s England squad after the Newcastle right-back Tino Livramento dropped out on the eve of the opening game against Croatia due to a calf injury sustained in training.

“I wouldn’t say [I was] ready, but I was on holiday in New York already, just planning my holiday and not thinking about the World Cup. I just got the text on the Monday, I was surprised and I was ready to go,” he said.

“When we got the news at the end of the season whether we were selected or not, he said ‘you’re close’. I was disappointed that I didn’t make it but he did say ‘stay ready’. So I managed to have a few sessions here and there but really it was about enjoying my holiday. I flew up to New York and was meant to go to Los Angeles after that but obviously had to cut it short when I got the message on Monday. I am still trying to get my money back,” he laughed.

Late arrival: Trevoh Chalobah

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Chalobah was doing work with a personal trainer in New York during his holiday.

“I was literally in Times Square. I went to the shops to get something. It was when I got back to my hotel I saw Thomas had texted, but it was two hours before. I didn’t see the message for two hours. I wasn’t on my phone, I was just walking around the city. Got back to the hotel, looked at my phone and he had asked if I could call him. My heart just dropped.

“We spoke on FaceTime and he broke the news to me. I was just over the moon.”

Asked whether the German had discussed the role he might play, Chalobah replied: “Yes, he said right centre-back and be ready. I will be ready.”

“I just called my family, called my agent. It was one of those times, it was early morning [in the UK] so I texted my agent and said ‘wake up, wake up’. He thought I was in trouble.

During the 2018 World Cup, a teenaged Chalobah posted a photo of the World Cup trophy on Twitter with the caption ‘One day. #Believe’. He reshared it this week after his late call-up.

“I was on loan at Ipswich that year,” he recalled. “It has always been a dream and that day I decided to tweet it. I obviously believed one day hopefully I’d make it.”

Chalobah said of Tuchel: “When I was at Chelsea, he tried to bring me to Bayern [Munich]. We've always had that special relationship. He's the one that gave me my [Chelsea] debut in 2021 in my breakthrough season. So we've always had that.

“My England debut as well. We have that strong connection. He is really fun. When I was at Chelsea, [he was] really demanding, which helped me. We have that really fun, banterous relationship and I love it.”

Settled: Trevoh Chalobah

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Chelsea were willing to sell academy product Chalobah on a number of occasions but he has shown resilience and was their most consistent defender this season.

Reflecting on the tough times, Chalobah said: “I love my career. I love what I've been through. It's all part of not just football, but going through life as a person; there are always going to be ups and downs, it’s never going to be smooth, but for me, I've loved every minute.

“I know the player I am. I know how far I've come. I know what I've been through, so I can't allow those moments to define who I am. I just use those moments as fuel to always prove people wrong and I love it.”

There is a new challenge at club level this summer, too, with the arrival of Xabi Alonso as the new Chelsea manager.

Chalobah played paddle with some England teammates after his arrival at the team’s base camp in Kansas City.

“I was literally playing for two hours,” he said. “It was me, Ivan Toney, Ezri [Konsa].”

Quizzed on whether he won, Chalobah replied: “Yeah, of course.”