Chelsea: How does £30 million youngster fit into Mauricio Pochettino’s side?

At this point in time, Pochettino realistically has 14 defenders to chose from taking into account the senior team and the players coming back from loan. That does not take into consideration a few academy players that were out on loan last season who will more than likely not be an asset to the senior squad next season.

Colwill started in 19 matches across all competitions for the Seagulls, playing predominantly on the left hand side of a back four. In his final 15 contests in the Premier League, the Southampton native completed over 80 percent of his passes on each occasion, continuously demonstrating his range of passing against some of the league’s top clubs. His final three matches for Sussex side included two assists with one coming against Manchester City to confirm his side’s place in the Europa League in 2023/2024.

It is ultimately going to come down to the kind of formation that the Argentine deploys that determines Colwill’s role. If it is a back-three, he has to be considered the first choice left-sided center back with Wesley Fofana on the right hand side and potentially Benoit Badiashile or Thiago Silva occupying the middle.

Traditionally, Badiashile has also played on the left side of a back four, just like Colwill, but the Frenchmen seems to be the most well-rounded passer out of the club’s up incoming center backs. Colwill has experience playing in the center of a back three with Huddersfield more than once including leading the Terriers to a playoff semifinal win in that position over Luton Town. No player on Huddersfield during his time on loan had more tackles in the defensive third of the pitch during Championship play than Colwill.