Chelsea have no plans to sell Levi Colwill this summer as they are convinced he is an elite-level centre-back in the making.
The 20-year-old has been superb on loan at Brighton this season and looks like he has a big future in the game, though there is also plenty of competition waiting for him back at Chelsea.
According to Ben Jacobs in his exclusive CaughtOffside column, there is absolutely no doubt in Chelsea’s mind that they will fight to keep Colwill this summer as they clearly rate him very highly.
Chelsea have brought through some top players in their academy in recent times, with Reece James and Mason Mount probably the biggest success stories, and Colwill could be the next to make an impact in the first-team.
One imagines there’ll be a queue of clubs ready to try signing the England Under-21 international if he decides he wants to leave the Blues for more playing time, but Jacobs seems confident that an exit is not on the cards.
“I understand Chelsea are currently categorical (on Levi Colwill),” Jacobs wrote. “They will bring him back from Brighton and won’t sell or loan out next season. They also have an option to extend Colwill’s contract by an extra year, until 2026, if he plays a set number of games.
“That makes it hard for suitors unless the player really drives his way out. Chelsea simply aren’t thinking about a sale. They view Colwill as an elite-level centre back who they want to play for the club for many years to come.”
He’s only going to be an elite level centre back playing in a Brighton team that suits his style. As soon as he goes back to Chelsea he’ll struggle for game time due to being 2nd or 3rd in the pecking order and playing a different style. If he wants to become ‘elite’ he should stay at Brighton
Absolutely spot on, one sees happen to so many promising young players.
They need plenty of game time to hone their potential. Brighton have an elite squad of players who would only improve a player like Colwill through training with them, and then putting that in to practice by regular selection.