Chelsea have endured a torrid campaign and it is safe to say everyone connected with the club will be relieved to see 2022/23 come to an end as soon as possible.
Of course, the Blues still have one more Premier League match left to complete on Sunday when they take on Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge before taking some time off and then regrouping ahead of 2023/24.
Once Chelsea fulfil their last fixture of this season against the Magpies, attention will turn to the summer transfer window for incoming boss Mauricio Pochettino, who is set to preside over plenty of incomings and outgoings as the west Londoners look to ensure they climb the Premier League table next term.
One man who looks to face an uncertain future at Stamford Bridge is Levi Colwill, who has spent the year on loan at Brighton & Hove Albion and has attracted interest from Liverpool and Manchester City in recent times, as per talkSPORT.
What’s the latest transfer news involving Levi Colwill and why is he highly regarded?
The talkSPORT report states that Chelsea may have to sell several homegrown players this summer to comply with Financial Fair Play regulations, with Colwill, Mason Mount, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Conor Gallagher and Ruben Loftus-Cheek being earmarked as assets that could generate the club ‘pure profit’.
Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Paul Brown thinks that Chelsea could be tempted into selling Colwill in the off-season if a suitable offer for his services arises.
Brown told FFC: “The only issue is if anybody comes in for him, whether a really big bid might tempt Chelsea’s owners to sell. Ultimately, they’re businessmen and I think if they see any opportunity to bring money in and reduce the squad, they might be tempted to do it. That is the one question mark over him and several players really.”
In 2022/23, the 20-year-old has made 23 appearances in all competitions on loan at Brighton and has managed to register three assists, as per Transfermarkt.
Colwill is regarded as one of the brightest youth products to come through at Stamford Bridge and earned enormous praise from former boss Carlos Corberan when on loan at Huddersfield Town in 2021, as per Yorkshire Live, who said: “I think he’s going to be one of the most important centre-backs for this country in the future.”
It is easy to see why the £15k-a-week ace has been given such plaudits in the past, with WhoScored showing that Colwill has managed to maintain a pass success rate of 89.1% in the Premier League this campaign, demonstrating his composure in possession and capacity to play out from deep.
FBRef conclude that Colwill has also managed to establish dominance in the Brighton backline and has fared well compared to his positional peers across Europe’s top five divisions in the art of aerial duels won, successfully winning 3.27 per 90 minutes across the last 365 days, putting him in the sixth percentile for this metric.
Since allowing Antonio Rudiger to leave Stamford Bridge for Real Madrid on a free transfer last year, Chelsea have struggled to replace the Germany international and Todd Boehly would be making a huge mistake if he sanctioned a deal for Colwill, who has extremely high potential, to depart SW6 in the forthcoming transfer window.
Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi gave Colwill praise for his role in the Seagulls’ 3-0 victory over Arsenal earlier this month, as cited by The Argus, stating: “I think the best example of courage was Colwill in this game. We defended man-to-man and Colwill’s man was Odegaard.
Colwill went 90 minutes to defend with Odegaard 80 metres from Jason Steele. This is courage.”
The Italian coach also spoke of his desire to work with the England Under-21 international on a longer-term basis and didn’t rule out trying to sign him permanently, adding: “I would like to work with him for another two, three, four years because it’s difficult to find another left centre-back with his qualities. He’s a good guy, he’s improving a lot. This year his improvement has been fantastic and I hope he can stay with us.”
Chelsea would be making a poor decision if they allowed Colwill to leave the club in the summer. Nevertheless, The Evening Standard claimed in March that they are working to extend his deal, which would be a wise decision for all involved and would provide more first-team opportunities for the youngster in west London.