 |
Midfielder/defender
Nathaniel Chalobah |
| Position |
Midfielder
/defender |
| P.O.B. |
Freetown,
Sierra Leone |
| D.O.B |
12:12:94 |
| Height |
6' 02 |
| Last Club |
Watford
|
|
His Wiki page |
Fulham have signed Watford midfielder Nathaniel Chalobah.
Chalobah, 26, was on Fulham’s books before joining Chelsea, where he came through the academy before eventually leaving for Watford in 2017.
He has signed a two-year contract at Craven Cottage after turning down the offer of a new five-year deal at Vicarage Road
Fulham FC statement:
The Club is delighted to announce the signing of Nathaniel Chalobah from Watford for an undisclosed fee.
The 26-year-old has signed a contract that keeps him at Craven Cottage until the summer of 2023, with Fulham holding an option to extend by a further year.
Speaking to FFCtv after completing his move, Chalobah said: "There’s a great project here, one that excites me. I worked with the gaffer during my first year at Watford and I always got a good vibe from him.
"I’ve looked at the team here and thought there’s the potential to be back in the Premier League next year. That’s the target."
Tony Khan added: "I’m very happy that we’ve been able to add Nathaniel Chalobah to our squad.
"It was great to be able to reach a favourable arrangement to sign Nathaniel, he had excellent references, having had good experiences working under Marco in the past, and Nathaniel’s versatile athletic presence will strengthen our midfield. Come on Fulham!"
An athletic defensive midfielder who can also operate further forward or at centre-back, Chalobah actually spent some time in the Fulham Academy before making the short move to Chelsea as a youngster.
His first taste of senior football was as a 17-year-old on loan at Vicarage Road in 2012/13. Chalobah belied his young age with a terrific campaign, featuring 42 times and scoring five goals as Watford reached the Championship Play-Off Final.
Several more loan spells followed, with Chalobah getting experience in the Championship, Premier League and Serie A with Nottingham Forest, Middlesbrough, Burnley, Reading and Napoli.
Following the appointment of Marco Silva, Chalobah returned to Watford in the summer of 2017 on a permanent deal, having played 15 times for Chelsea.
Having appeared an astonishing 97 times for England across a number of age groups, Chalobah was given a senior debut in October 2018 in a 3-2 win over Spain in the Nations League, making him the first Watford player to represent the Three Lions since John Barnes 35 years earlier.
After racking up the appearances in the Premier League, Chalobah helped Watford bounce back at the first time of asking as they finished second in the Championship last season.
Source Geoff Pruce at Fulham FC/West London Sport/Ryan Gray at Watford Observer