Fans of Chelsea's academy teams have known for years the potential of Levi Colwell, who they call the centre-back the "new John Terry" who grew up in west London. In the summer of 2021, a one-season transfer on loan to Huddersfield provided Colwell with an opportunity to explain why he earned such a nickname when playing for the first team. It would be an understatement to say that Colewell was confident of doing so. Terry's famous number 26 shirt has been semi-retired at Chelsea since leaving the club in 2017, while Colwell wasted no time in choosing the same number when he arrived in West Yorkshire. Since then, Colewell has shown why he is often compared to the Blues legend.
Throughout the season, the teenager has made more than 20 starts for Huddersfield, bringing an impressive string of performances to a team fourth in the Championship and seeking a surprising chance to advance back into the Premier League. "The way we play and the intensity on the pitch is very different from college football. It took me a few weeks to adapt and I'm still learning," Colwell told the media in September, "head coach Carlos Colberland made a brave choice because as an 18-year-old Chelsea centre-back it could have left everyone asking questions, saying: 'Did he just get this opportunity because he came from a big club?'" I need to prove myself, but to get him to believe in me and bring me in, I can only say thank you for trusting me. ”
That trust has paid off, with Colwell's performance leading Leicester City to try to cut off his loan during the January transfer window so he could spend the second half of the season at the Crown Court. He is the latest in a long list of Premier League loanees who thrive at John Smith's Stadium. "We've loaned Ben Chiville from Leicester, Trevor Chaloba from Chelsea and Smith Rowe from Arsenal," former Premier League defender and current Head of Football Operations at Huddersfield Town, Lee Bromby, explained to the media, "Before that, we had two Chelsea players, Ez Brown and Kathy Palmer, and we also had Aaron Mooy from Manchester City, and they all came and performed well. Now it's Levi's turn as one of our latest loans, he's integrated into the squad and is doing a great job. ”
He added: "We visited Levi before, so we knew him before we signed him. I'm sure people are more interested in him. Some teams are aware of him, but luckily we have a very good relationship with Chelsea and there are a lot of successful loanees. As a young man, he adapted very well. It's his professionalism and the way he handles himself and handles the rental is fantastic. Some of the players come from bigger clubs and they think it might be easy. He is humble and open, able to work for his place and accept what we are doing. He has been excellent, not only to himself but also to Chelsea, who work with the players and prepare them for them. The way he fit into the dressing room was incredible. The players and staff really like him and enjoy working with him. He's looking for progress and trying to get better. In terms of his age, he's the best player I've seen during my time playing or coaching. For me, there is a good chance that he will play for Chelsea and England in the future. ”
The 19-year-old benefited from Huddersfield's top coaching, nutrition and fitness training facilities, while being looked after by club manager David Fox. "You forgot he was so young," Fox said in an interview, having spent 15 years in a Manchester United academy, "he just turned 19 and played all season at the age of 18." His performance, character and demeanor are not typical of 18-year-olds. He was hardworking and incredibly humble. He is well educated at home and at Chelsea. We want him to play in the preseason, which gives him time to adapt and adjust. He was able to play pre-season and sleep with the lads. It was a positive start for him before the season started. Chelsea hope that one day he can be in their first team and if we can get him to help them while making him better on the way forward then that's the point of the matter. ”
The question now is which team he will represent for in the Premier League next season, not whether he will play. Chelsea and Tuchel will be included in the West London side's first-team squad during pre-season, meaning decisions about his future could be delayed compared to last summer. Rees James has proven that he can be promoted from the Championship to Chelsea first team after moving from loan to Wigan Athletic in 2019 and directly into Frank Lampard's scheme. However, if there is no room for him next season, then he will certainly have a choice and Huddersfield hope they will be promoted in the coming weeks to be at the forefront of the candidates. But if Colwell doesn't return to Hartown at the end of the season, the club can be proud to have helped develop another future England international. "We make him better, he makes us better and that will help Chelsea in the long run," Bromby said. "New John Terry" has only just begun.