Chelsea stars Reece James and Trevoh Chalobah saved the club £130m after TWO failed transfer bids gave them chance

CHELSEA fans wouldn’t dream of calling Reece James and Trevoh Chalobah bargain basement defenders this season.

But the Blues hot shots have saved their club a whopping £130million in transfer fees.

GettyYoungsters Reece James and Trevoh Chalobah came through Chelsea’s academy[/caption]

That is after boss Thomas Tuchel failed in attempts to bring in two blockbuster signings last summer.

Chelsea saw bids for both Achraf Hakimi and Jules Kounde turned down as they tried desperately to shore up their defence.

Right-back Hakimi instead left Inter Milan for Paris Saint-Germain in a £51.3m deal.

Kounde meanwhile stayed put at Sevilla after Chelsea failed to trigger his £69m release clause.

After failing to land either of his two defensive targets, Tuchel was forced to turn to homegrown options – and what a success that has proven to be.

James is being recognised as one of European football’s most potent attacking threats with his flying runs down the right.

JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET A FREE £10 BONUS WITH 100s OF GAMES TO PLAY AND NO DEPOSIT REQUIRED (Ts&Cs apply)

The wing-back is currently Chelsea’s top scorer after finding the net five times in all competitions already this season.

He even had to wait his turn before making the right-side his own after Tuchel experimented with Callum Hudson-Odoi in that position early on.

James’s fellow academy-graduate Chalobah is thriving in Tuchel’s favoured back-three and has even chipped in with a handful of goals himself.

Their stellar form has contributed to the Premier League leaders’ staggering defensive record.

Tuchel has conceded just 24 goals in his first 50 games in charge – the lowest total ever for a manager at an English club. 

And Chelsea have kept a staggering 31 clean sheets in that period.

Read our Football news live blog for the very latest rumours, gossip and done deals