Mauricio Pochettino has heaped praise on Levi Colwill after Chelsea’s 4-3 win over Brighton out in the United States. The Argentine even admitted his surprise at how well the 20- year-old has performed during pre-season. So, what did Mauricio Pochettino say about Levi Colwill in full? Let’s take a look…
What’s the story?
Well, there has been plenty of speculation surrounding the England Under-21 international’s future this summer. Brighton saw two bids – worth £30m and £40m – rejected by Chelsea for Colwill as the Seagulls tried to bring their loan hero of the 2022/23 campaign back to the Amex Stadium.
Roberto De Zerbi even admitted before Saturday’s friendly that he still wants the Chelsea academy graduate at Brighton, and proposed a swap deal involving Moises Caicedo. Now – however – Pochettino appears to have ended the saga by confirming that Colwill is staying at Stamford Bridge. As quoted by the Telegraph, the South American said:
“He is our player and he is going to continue with us. I am happy with him, his performance was good today, better than what I expected because it is only the first game with us after the season with Brighton. I am so happy, he can be one of the greatest centre-backs in England.”
Levi Colwill set for important role at Chelsea
Despite never making a senior appearance for Chelsea, Colwill has a huge role to play next season. Thiago Silva is now 38 years of age and unlikely to start every week, Wesley Fofana could miss the entire 2023/24 campaign after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament, and Benoit Badiashile is also struggling with a hamstring injury.
That means there are plenty of problems for Pochettino in the heart of defence, and with Colwill performing at a seriously high level right now, there is a lot of expectation on his young shoulders. Nevertheless, he is more than capable of stepping up to the plate with his immense talent.