Mourinho clarifies Chalobah situation

Silly me for trusting the Mirror, who had Jose Mourinho as unsure about whether Nathaniel Chalobah would head out on loan. Mourinho definitely knows what he's doing with the youngster -- he's impressed, but he wants him to get regular playing time. Thus says the Guardian:

We are thinking of letting Nathaniel go on loan for a last season. That is our intention and he knows. We have discussed that with him. He is a very, very good player. I like him very much and am very impressed. For sure, he is a Chelsea player. We will see whether or not it is a Premier League club but he would have to play every weekend for the last year of his loan period. He could be in our squad already but we think one more season will help and then he will come back for 2014-15. It will be his last one out on loan. He is very, very good.

There's not much in the way of news as to whether the manager sees Chalobah as a midfielder or a defender long term, but at least he holds him in high regard. That quote will have been a message to the player more than anything else, designed to build him up and motivate him as he prepares for his last season away from Stamford Bridge. Chalobah's one of the Blues' brightest lights, and if he rises to the challenge (and there's no reason to believe he wouldn't) we could see our first home-grown star* since John Terry.

*With apologies to Ryan Bertrand.

Hopefully Chalobah ends up in the Premier League, if only to make him easier to watch next season. He's definitely one to be playing close attention to next season.