Chalobah says England's Premier League exodus is sharpening Tuchel's squad

Trevoh Chalobah has credited England’s wave of Premier League departures with raising the standard inside Thomas Tuchel’s squad, arguing that players who have tested themselves in Europe’s top leagues are returning to international duty sharper and more experienced.

Chalobah, 27, joined Como from Chelsea for £30 million in the summer, a move he partly framed as a deliberate step outside his comfort zone to strengthen his England credentials. He is not alone. John Stones and Djed Spence both moved to Inter Milan, while Bayer Leverkusen defender Jarell Quansah and Barcelona winger Anthony Gordon have also established themselves as key figures under Tuchel. Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, meanwhile, continue to operate at the highest level with Bayern Munich and Real Madrid respectively.

“It’s been amazing so far,” Chalobah said. “It’s different, obviously playing abroad before in my own spells in France — it feels a bit similar in terms of the culture, the language. I’m loving it so far every minute, and it’s a good thing that a lot of us England players are playing abroad to bring that experience into the camp.”

Chalobah received a late call-up to the World Cup qualifying squad and could feature against the Czech Republic after injuries to key squad members opened the door. He was measured about the situation. “I’m ready to go. I’m fit. Football’s unpredictable in terms of injuries — you can be feeling great, doing everything right, but then things happen. We’ve lost those two players and they are massive parts of the squad. But we have players ready to step in.”

The Chelsea academy product also pointed to the daily challenge of training alongside Kane and Bellingham as a driver of his own improvement. “They’re showing a very high level at the moment,” he said. “Watching from the bench, it was breath-taking — it could have been more goals, and that’s the scary thing. Defending against those players is only going to improve us defenders. It’s a good thing we have them on our team and not in the opposition.”