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

Levi Colwill is one of those players that with the right amount of care under Chelsea’s new manager could blossom into a vital piece to the club’s future successes.

Even with more moves to come within Chelsea Football Club over the next few months, it is quite interesting to see how certain players act as a piece to a puzzle that hopefully leads to success. The 20-year-old center back Levi Colwill is one of those pieces. Coming off of back to back loans beginning with Huddersfield Town in the Championship and ending with Brighton and Hove Albion this past campaign, Colwill has proven that his game is well-prepared to take on one of the role of a regular center backs on the Blues’ roster.

New head man in west London, Mauricio Pochettino was rumored to have “admired” Colwill from a distance according to The Times. This past week, Brighton was reported to have offered £30 million for the young Englishmen, but the west Londoners swiftly rejected. His potential is through the roof, especially with someone that has molded some top-class players like Pochettino at the helm. Considering the current state of defenders, especially at center back, there are going to have to be a few more outgoings for next season’s Blues to utilize Colwill on a regular basis. The west London outfit clearly want the former academy star to be a part of their future plans, but the only question is where he fits within the squad?

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.

Silva, while voted the club’s Player of the Season will more than likely take a step back to provide the young generation a run in with the Blues. The English youngster has the opportunity to not only learn from a sensational player developer, but if Silva lives out his contract, the former academy defender will get to see what a legend of the game in his position does on a daily basis. There is nowhere on loan he will be able to do that. His role within the team should be significant, and if it is not, the Blues will once again lose another of its best academy products.

With eyes on the future, Levi Colwill must be one of Mauricio Pochettino’s most used center backs next season.

In a back four, the west London side will have choices. Colwill or Badiashile could play on the left with Fofana alongside on the right. The Brazilian veteran and Trevoh Chalobah are quality options at either of those positions as well. In order for Pochettino to get the most out of his players, a back-three is the most ideal option.

It not only allows Ben Chilwell and Reece James freedom on the flanks, but all three of the west Londoners’ highly-rated young center backs have the room to feature in the side. There could be a process in which CFC ease Colwill into the senior team, but given his production at the top-flight level already, there is no question he should be a consistent starter for this club for the foreseeable future.