Brighton will give Levi Colwill the first team football he needs
Saturday evening was one of the easiest fishing trips of all time. England Under 21s win European Championships. Send out tweet congratulating the two Brighton players in the squad, Carl Rushworth and Levi Colwill. Sit back and watch the fireworks as Chelsea fans collectively lose their minds.
Colwill is not yet an Albion player and based on the noises coming out of Stamford Bridge and the words of new Blues boss Mauricio Pochettino, it seems unlikely he will be for the 2023-24 season.
Brighton had a £30 million offer rebuffed by Chelsea at the start of June. The Albion were said to be weighing up an improved £40 million bid, which would smash their transfer record. The Blues were expected to say no to that too.
Chelsea wanting to keep Colwill should not come as a surprise. As a left footed centre back, he is something of a rarity in English football already.
Tyrone Mings has made an international career out of that attribute, indicating how unusual such players are for this country to produce.
Colwill is solid defensively and so good on the ball as to have been Roberto De Zerbi’s preferred partner for Lewis Dunk in much of the second half of last season.
That ability was there for all to see with England Under 21s in Georgia. Lee Carsley adopted DeZerbiBall to devastating effect as the Young Lions won their first European title in nearly 40 years without conceding a single goal.
To appreciate just how good Levi Colwill already is at the age of just 20, you need to have been there to watch Brighton in their win at Arsenal and draw with treble winners Manchester City.
On both occasions, De Zerbi trusted Colwill with an unusual brief for a centre back – man marking a central midfielder. Against Arsenal, he shadowed Martin Odegaard. In the City game, it was Kevin De Bruyne.
This meant Colwill was often getting pulled miles out of defence. Watching on television does no do justice to just how difficult that is.
The ball could be on the other side of the pitch and Colwill was diligently tracking his man a long way from the Albion back line.
It was fascinating to see – and a role which would have left most central defenders like a rabbit in the headlights.
Colwill though has the positional sense and discipline to carry it out perfectly alongside his normal defensive duties, nullifying the threat posed by two of the best creators in the Premier League last season.
After the 3-0 victory at the Emirates, De Zerbi said of Colwill: “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.”
“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.”
Unfortunately, it is not down to De Zerbi or Brighton whether Levi Colwill stays at the Amex. That decision rests solely with Chelsea and Pochetinno.
But what a waste it will be if Colwill remains at Stamford Bridge, only to find his game time restricted this coming season.
Colwill has already trained with the senior England squad before their Euro 2024 qualifies against Malta and North Macedonia.
If he plays regular first team football in 2023-24, he has a very strong chance of establishing himself in Gareth Southgate’s starting XI for next summer’s tournament in Germany.
From there, he could be a mainstay of the England defence for the next 10-15 years. Which is why this summer is so important not just for Colwill, but for English football as a whole.
Pochetinno and Colwill are set to hold talks once the centre back returns to training with Chelsea following the Under 21s success in Georgia.
“First of all, I need to understand him,” Pochettino told The Guardian. “I need to hear what he has in his mind. What he expects. And then, of course, for him to listen to what I expect from him.”
The new Chelsea boss has also confirmed Colwill will travel to the United States with Chelsea for their pre-season tour, where he could face the Albion in Philadelphia on July 22nd.
If those talks and that tour indicate that Pochettino intends to install Colwill in his starting XI for next season, then that will be good news for player and England.
Colwill himself seems to realise that should he not be weighing heavy in Pochettino’s thoughts, a move will be in the best interests of his career.
“I’ll speak to my family, speak to everyone I need to, and make a decision. I’ve got to play at the end of the day to hopefully get there and go to the next senior camp,” Colwill is quoted as having said.
The biggest indicator of the importance of regular game time comes from the last England Under 21 side to reach a European Championship final in 2009.
Six of the players in the Germany team who beat the Young Lions 4-0 that year went onto win the World Cup five years later. Seven of the England team ended up playing for Sunderland.
A certain James Milner was by far and away the most successful England man from that group. Many of the others found their progress stunted by a lack of opportunities at the highest level.
The European champions of 2023 seem determined to do things different. Goalkeeper James Trafford is giving up Manchester City to move to Burnley.
Cole Palmer is seeking a move from the Etihad Stadium on loan with Brighton apparently interested. Other Under 21s are likely to want first team football following their history-making month in Georgia.
As for Colwill, he knows he will get the opportunities he needs to keep progressing at Brighton. That much is certain.
Chelsea currently offer only uncertainty. Colwill deserves a chance at Stamford Bridge. He is better than Benoit Badiashile.
But might Pochettino feel under pressure to use a player who Todd Boehly bought for £34 million seven months ago on a seven-and-a-half year contract?
And even if Colwill does overtake Badiashile in the pecking order, who is to say Boehly will not sanction another mind-blowingly stupid, big money buy at centre back between now and the summer transfer window shutting?
Chelsea have been a basket case under Boehly so far. It remains to be seen whether Pochetinno can sort it out. Brighton in contrast can give Levi Colwill the stability and first team football he needs and deserves.
