Town will cope with the absence from the dugout of manager Paul Lambert over the next two league games against relegation rivals Wigan and Reading, loanee Trevoh Chalobah firmly believes.

Lambert’s punishment for his involvement in the dust-up at Carrow Road just before half-time in the 3-0 East Anglian derby defeat by Norwich means he will have to communicate from a seat in the stand, via a mobile telephone to assistant Stuart Taylor, starting on Saturday when the Blues are at 20th-placed Wigan.

Chalobah, 19, said: “We always know the game plan, what the gaffer wants and what he is expecting from each and every one of us.

“We just need to execute it and even if he’s not there in his usual place on the touchline we know what we have to do.”

The strapping Chelsea loanee is revelling in his role at the base of the new-look midfield diamond set-up that Lambert introduced at Norwich and has continued in subsequent home draws with both Derby and Stoke.

He added: “I’ve played in a number of positions for Chelsea but coming into the Championship is a very different level to, say, U21 football. I think I’ve developed well and I’ve shown the versatility I have in my game.

“The gaffer wants us to try to get on the ball, move it quickly and play out from the back.

“In football you always have to take risks and that’s one of the most important things, as long as you are doing it in the right areas of course.

“He has done a lot for me, always looking to improve my game by talking to me one to one and emphasising the things I need to do to bring about an improvement.

“He encourages me and helps me along the way. I would say he has improved me a lot this season.”

Enough to want Chalobah to return to Portman Road for a further loan stint next season, irrespective of whether Town remain in the Championship or have to return to English football’s third tier for the first time in 62 years?

“We’ll have to see what happens,” said the Sierra Leone-born player, who moved to London with his family, grew up in Lambeth and joined the Chelsea academy when he was nine.

“You can never say never but it will be up to Chelsea and what they think will be best for me.

“From their point of view I think they will just want me to be at a club where I’m guaranteed games, whether it’s Championship, League One or even going abroad.

“Getting games is the most important thing for me as a young player. Chelsea have links with Vitesse Arnhem in Holland and they have a couple of players on loan there at the moment.

“I wouldn’t mind trying that as an experience but I’ve no way of knowing what’s going to happen in the future.

“Chelsea have a lot of players out on loan and they keep in touch with us all. There are always messages of encouragement coming through.

“We’ve got our own WhatsApp group where we all keep in touch and see how everybody is doing at all the different clubs.

“The big thing we have in common is the need to be playing as much as possible — it’s all about games and getting experience.”

Chalobah will cross swords on Saturday with club colleague Reece James, who has appeared in every Wigan league game this season, starting 31 of them and coming off the bench in the other.

The pair are good friends and have been busy texting each other over the past few days.

“I’m really close with Reece and he’s doing really well at Wigan,” said Chalobah.

“He’s played in all their league games and he’s gaining some great experience, including games in a new position.

“He’s a good mate of mine and it will be a good battle against him. We’ve already been in touch a fair bit in the build-up to Saturday.”

Chalobah smiled as he was reminded that FourFourTwo magazine have named him as English football’s 30th most promising teenager. He added: “It was good for me to see that and it shows the hard work I’m putting in is paying off. I just have to keep it going and continue to believe in myself if I’m going to get to the top.

“There’s been a bit of banter between me and Andre [Dozzell] because he’s at number 39.”

The pair knew each other well before being reunited at Portman Road last summer, having represented England at various age groups together, and Chalobah has no doubts that Town can soon regain their Championship status if the worst happens this season.

He said: “There are the likes of Andre and Flynn [Downes] who I’ve also played alongside at international level.

“They are both very good players and there are several others as well who could have big futures here and in the game.

“They need to be nurtured well and they need to get the game time they need because that’s how young players gain confidence to go out and express themselves and show their talent.

“Andre and Flynn have been at the same level as players from the bigger Premier League clubs. It shows there is plenty of young talent at Championship level as well.

“I remember coming to Ipswich to play for Chelsea in the past and the Ipswich team always had plenty of good players who played passing football.

“That hasn’t changed and there are a lot of players capable of making a big impact here. The players who are here are good enough to come back up if the worst happens, but for now we are all concentrating on staying up. That’s our main aim and I believe we will.”

Chalobah is experiencing his first move away from Stamford Bridge on loan but it is a well-worn path for a host of young players, not all of whom have been able to carve out a career for themselves in west London.

In the case of older brother Nathaniel, he is now with Watford after being loaned to them, Nottingham Forest, Middlesbrough, Burnley, Reading and Serie A’s Napoli in quick succession, and has even been capped at senior international level by England after a substitute appearance in last October’s 3-2 win in Spain in the new UEFA Nations League.

He added: “My brother has always been my inspiration, talking to him and watching him play on television.

“He’s done a lot of loans as well and he’s always explaining what I have to do and the things I need to improve upon.

“I always listen to him and the things he says will be good for me in my career.

“I’ve been used to being away from home because of travelling with Chelsea to play in different tournaments, so that hasn’t been a problem for me coming here. I just get on with my work.

“Having to cook for myself was a big step for me but I feel I have even done well with that.

“Believe it or not, when I was at Chelsea we used to do a lot of cooking and it helped to prepare me for coming here on my own.

“I’ve cooked for my sisters, for example. The lessons we did at Chelsea, with the chefs who work at the training ground, has benefited all the young lads who have gone out on loan.

“I have to admit that I sometimes pop out for something to eat as well. I cook for myself most of the time but there are also times when I’ll just pop into Nando’s.”

Photo: TWTD

Garv added 19:40 - Feb 21 Having Chalobah has felt like a waste this season in a way. He's a brilliant talent and would be so useful in a confident team doing well. He's been a shining light in a lot of games this season, without being good enough to get us points out of them. The problem has been the majority of those around him haven't been good enough. He's been hit and miss of course and does make mistakes, but he's more hit than miss for me. A splitter of opinions if ever I've seen one.

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pazzy added 08:08 - Feb 22 he,s a great lad a credit to chelsea
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harlingblue added 14:16 - Feb 22 He is a great talent on the field, and reading this article a very well grounded youngster.
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