Levi Colwill: Chelsea defender on Chelsea legend ‘dream’, England glory, Pochettino & Thiago Silva

Levi Colwill played in five of England’s six games at the European Under-21 Championship, sitting out only their group-stage dead rubber against Germany Chelsea defender Levi Colwill says there was “never a doubt” he would remain at Stamford Bridge – because he wants to become a Blues legend. The 20-year-old centre-back has spent the past two seasons on loan with Huddersfield Town and Brighton. But, after starring for an England Under-21 team that won the European Championship without conceding once, he is eyeing a Chelsea starting spot. “I want to win big things with this club,” Colwill told BBC Sport. Colwill signed a new six-year deal this summer and while he admitted a return to the Seagulls had been on the table, Chelsea was always his “first option”. Speaking to BBC Sport at the end of Chelsea’s pre-season tour of the United States, Colwill said: “Chelsea has been my club since my ninth birthday when I signed. I love this club a lot and I always wanted to be a Chelsea player – and hopefully be a Chelsea legend one day.” The Blues endured an underwhelming 2022-23, a 12th-placed finish in the Premier League their lowest in 29 years. But the last time Chelsea went a season without European football, in 2016-17, they rebounded by winning the title and Colwill is confident the new-look Londoners will surprise a few people this term. They face Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on Sunday (16:30 BST). “It’s a different season with different players, I think there’s a different feeling in the changing room, so I think we can do anything we want,” he added. And while much has been made of Chelsea’s youth-oriented recruitment policy, Colwill pointed to Raheem Sterling, Ben Chilwell, Reece James, Thiago Silva and Kepa Arrizabalaga as a seasoned spine. “We’ve still got experienced players in our changing room and I think with the young players, the energy we’ve got, we’ll go and do something really good this season,” Colwill said. “It’s exciting times. We’ve got a young group that can go on and win anything we want if we put our minds to it – under the gaffer anything is possible.” ‘Pochettino gave me all the right answers on Chelsea future’ Levi Colwill is yet to play a competitive game for Chelsea but featured several times in the Blues’ pre-season tour of America After shining for the Seagulls and excelling with England’s young Lions, Colwill admitted he sought assurances about his role in the Chelsea set-up from new boss Mauricio Pochettino before committing his future. “I had a great last season and good Euros, so I spoke to the gaffer, asked him how he sees me and I got all the right answers,” Colwill added. “He is a really, really good guy. I can go up and talk to him about anything. It was just giving me a bit of confidence to say if you play well, you’ll have a chance with me and that’s all I wanted to hear.” While Chelsea’s famed Cobham academy has produced a litany of stars, the path to the first team is not always straightforward due to the numbers game alone. For every John Terry that comes through to fulfil Colwill’s goal of becoming a Chelsea icon, there are countless others who fall away or move on to other clubs. Loan stints can be the start of a drawn-out departure for many but 6ft 2in defender Colwill says his faith in his future has never faltered. “One of my dad’s biggest things he tells me is never give up and no one can doubt you,” Colwill added. “At Huddersfield when I first went in, I don’t think I was a starter and then an injury happened, and then I got a chance. “And then obviously Brighton, going there and not starting and having to push in [to the starting line-up]. When I wasn’t playing much I had to adapt, keep my head and not just throw my toys out of the pram. “The best players go through it all the time. It’s just how you come out the other side. “I played in the Premier League last season so I trust myself. I know that I can do it. I played against some of the best players, and played well sometimes.” Colwill says that as a player, he appreciates “a simple conversation” from his manager “to feel like I am a person”, but adds: “At the same time you can’t let me sleep and not work hard. I think if you keep pushing me every day that’s how it works.” ‘Silva combo a dream for 10-year-old me’ Colwill’s performances for club and country were rewarded with an invitation from Gareth Southgate to train with the full England squad this summer. “Going and joining England to train, with some of the best players in the world, was a big thing for me,” Colwill admitted. “It shows nothing you do goes unnoticed.” With that experience under his belt, he’s not a man who should often be star-struck. But Colwill admits to a schoolboy-like excitement at the thought of potentially partnering Brazil veteran Thiago Silva at the heart of the Blues’ back-line. Levi Colwill played alongside Thiago Silva during Chelsea’s Premier League Summer Series tour “It would mean a lot to me – I remember when I was younger I used to watch clips of him the day before a game,” Colwill explained. “I don’t know why, I think it was when he was at PSG – perhaps because he’s not the biggest, he’s not the fastest and that’s what I used to be like before I grew a lot. “He’s amazing. Even training with him, playing next to him, he’s just so relaxed. He knows everything that is going on. You can’t put into words how good he is. “Mentally he’s steps above everyone. Now if 10-year-old Levi or whatever it was thought about playing with him it would be amazing. The best feeling in the world.”