Nathaniel Chalobah suffered an injury against West Brom in Premier League 2
According to Birmingham Live, Nathaniel Chalobah’s injury while playing for the under-21 team may have caused West Brom to have yet another delay in their fitness.
The midfielder completed the 45 minutes that were required of him during the Baggies’ Premier League 2 match against Fulham on Monday, September 25, according to a story on the newspaper’s website on Tuesday (September 26).
Chalobah and the newest addition Pipa both played 45 minutes in an effort to keep their match sharpness after only being able to make brief appearances off the bench, if at all. However, Richard Beale’s inexperienced Albion team were soundly defeated by the Whites, losing 3-0.
According to Joseph Chapman, who explained the midfielder’s participation: “Chalobah, who joined from Fulham in January and whose contract is good through the end of this season, also completed 45 minutes as advised and, despite picking up an injury in the first half, he continued and completed his allotted time.
He would seem to have fallen behind Alex Mowatt in the midfield hierarchy after Mowatt seized his opportunity on Saturday and performed admirably.
It is obvious, as Chapman noted, that Chalobah is currently low on Carlos Corberan’s priority list, in part because of his lackluster performances for the Baggies and in part because of the strong competition for positions.
There is definitely a path back for Mowatt, the former Chelsea midfielder, should he seize the opportunity like some of his teammates have. Like Chalobah, Mowatt appeared to have slipped out of the Albion manager’s plans before starting and excelling in the draw with Millwall on Saturday (23 September).
If he has sustained a true injury, it is unlikely to be a major setback for Corberan’s team as the 28-year-old has only made one start in the Championship this year and has played a total of 133 minutes in league play.
As West Brom has occasionally used him in the waning seconds of games, let’s hope he’s emerged unscathed and was simply taken off at halftime as previously scheduled. They could use the extra depth on the bench as they go up against high-flying Preston on Saturday (30 September) in search of their first victory in five games.
But it is difficult to imagine how the midfielder would manage to get himself a new contract for the upcoming campaign if he doesn’t start to establish himself as deserving of regular games at The Hawthorns. After beginning his existence in the Midlands, Chalobah will need to undergo some kind of extraordinary reversal if he is to succeed.
