In the summer of 2021, chelsea academy graduates left the club in large numbers. Levlamento, Lewis Beit and Miles Pierre Harris all left the club on permanent contracts, as did Mark Gei, Tomori and Tammy Abraham, while the likes of Anhorin and Broa left the club on loan. Another player on loan this season is Levi Colwell. The 19-year-old went on loan to Huddersfield Town for the 2021-22 season, similar to Tomori's transfer to Derby County in 2018-19. His performance in the lower leagues was highly acclaimed, with Colwell coming from a centre-back who could adapt to a three-back or four-back system, and he often played as a left-centre-back due to his favourite position on the left side of the penalty area.
Both Tomori and Guy left the club permanently this summer, and Chelsea were able to safely let both of them go, in part because of Colwell's presence. Xavier Mbuyangba is also a young defender in the youth squad, signing from Barcelona, and he has already started training with the first team, which shows how highly the Blues value him. However, Colwell is arguably Chelsea's most admired player at the Academy. Earlier this season, Colwell was called up to England's Under-21 squad and captained the U19 national team this season. He's very comfortable handling the ball, not only that, he's calm in his defence and he certainly deserves the approval of the England youth national team.
Colwell was outstanding. Even watching the progress of the game from the sidelines shows his talent, and the fact that he stood out at a higher level at the age of 19 proves it. As a left-footed centre-back, Colwell's physicality and sense of position make him excellent at possession, with plenty of space on the pitch he can take advantage of when playing on the left side of the centre-back combination. Many teams use two or even three right-footed centre-backs, which sometimes limits the route of the pass and the options for the ball at the back.
Colwell's pass from the backline also attracted a lot of attention, and he would often attract two or three players from the other side to get close to him, and then wait until the last minute to pass the ball out, which could create enough space for his teammates to hold the ball. It's something he often does for Chelsea's youth team and something he continues to do almost effortlessly in the Championship. Colwell is a fairly modern defender, which means he often chooses to challenge opponents rather than provoke them. This works for the most part, but as mentioned earlier, his defensive ability will only get better as he gets older and the number of times he's squeezed out of defensive positions will be corrected quickly. Although Colwell is only 19 years old, he is not yet trustworthy in the Chelsea first team, but Tuchel is definitely looking forward to him. With Comte in the spotlight at Chelsea, it could be a few more years before Colwell secured a starting spot at the club. But for an emerging talent who will soon become a household name, exciting moments are just around the corner.
Huddersfield know they have no chance of keeping the defender, especially given chelsea's desire to keep him. The Blues have a high opinion of Colewell, while the contracts of Azpilicueta, Christensen and Rudiger expire this summer and Colwell is expected to be named into the Premier League squad for 2022-23. However, he had another option – Leicester City. The Foxes reportedly turned down an offer for the centre-back in January by Chelsea, but according to British media reports, they are preparing to reapply the Rising British star this summer. They are said to be willing to offer Colwell regular first-team matches, which is not possible at Stamford Bridge and could make him change his mind. However, Chelsea have not yet received a specific offer.