What is next for Cobham’s next big thing Levi Colwill?

As the Championship season comes to its closing point, Levi Colwill has been spoken about for Young Player Of The Season after his impressive performances for Huddersfield Town.

Upon reports that Huddersfield Town were reportedly going to be the club to land the Chelsea youngster on loan, hopes were already high. The Cobham youngster has since proved why those lofty expectations were correct.

The youngster’s accolades before his move to the Terriers were already impressive enough as an England Under-17 international with experience in the Under-19 Chelsea squad in the UEFA Youth League and some Premier League 2 experience with the Chelsea developmental squad.

Colwill impressed in West Yorkshire early on, slotting into the left centre-half slot in Carlos Corberán’s young side yet looking much more experienced than his age would suggest, especially given this is his first taste of senior football.

This season has seen the Terriers’ performances improve astronomically from last year, and Colwill has been at the forefront of this too often being the difference in results for the club, learning from the experienced centre-halves that have played alongside him.

Summer signings Tom Lees and Matty Pearson are the other two starting centre-halves that Colwill has often partnered. With potential doubts as to how the three would fit together, they have proved critics wrong time and time again, with the older of the two additions, Pearson and Lees offering mentorship to Colwill whilst further realising his brilliance.

Whilst Lees and Pearson may not be the first players that come to mind in terms of the modern-day centre-halves as so to speak, Colwill has to be up there. Current times demand defenders to be able to step out of defence with the ball, something that the 19-year-old does consistently, to an excellent standard.

In addition to this, the youngster’s passing range is equally as impressive, with an average of 2.8 accurate long balls per 90 and 0.5 key passes per 90, showing off the ability that the Chelsea loanee possesses to progress the ball through the defence and create attacks, something desired from top-level defenders.

Defensively too, Colwill’s stats are exceptional for his age, with 1.8 tackles per 90, showing maturity beyond his age. Colwill has been involved in 11 of the side’s 18 clean sheets this campaign.

His performances in blue and white have been rewarded with call-ups to the England squads on multiple occasions, with appearances in both the Under-19 and Under-21 European Championship Qualification campaigns.

The future is, without doubt, an exciting one for the England Under-21 defender, who took the place of Marc Guéhi in the Qualifiers following the Crystal Palace youngster’s progression into the England Senior Men’s squad, a route that Colwill looks likely to follow.

Looking at what the future could hold for the defender has to start with Huddersfield Town’s remaining games in the Championship campaign, in the case that Huddersfield are successful in their play-off push and reach the promised land of the Premier League as they did in the 2016/2017 campaign, it is possible that Colwill could return to the Terriers as they would try to fight relegation.

It is unlikely, even if the side goes up, they would be able to secure the services of the 19-year-old after Leicester City failed to get the starlet on loan in January due to a clause in the loan contract. The Foxes will likely attempt to reach a deal with Chelsea in the summer.

Crystal Palace are a potential suitor for the 19-year-old and could seek a deal to bring him to Selhurst Park to potentially partner Guéhi. With Chelsea having a healthy relationship with the Eagles, after the highly successful loan spell of Conor Gallagher, there is a chance that a deal could be agreed to send Colwill on loan to South London.

With the potential that the deal is endorsed to the youngster by his former Cobham teammates, it only strengthens the possibility of a move occurring, with Fulham said to be interested too after the club sealed a return to the Premier League.

However, what could be more likely to happen is that Colwill is kept at Chelsea and slowly ‘drip-fed’ as such into the first team. There is no doubt that Chelsea are facing issues regarding their defensive line, with Antonio Rüdiger and Andreas Christensen likely to depart from the club in the summer at the end of their respective deals.

With Tuchel reportedly interested in how the youngster competes in the 2022/2023 pre-season campaign, it is not off the table that Colwill could play at Stamford Bridge next season, especially with Tuchel’s current choice left-sided centre-half set to depart from the Bridge.

Given the youngster has already proved himself to beat expectations, it would not surprise those who have watched him this campaign that Colwill could end up amongst the Chelsea ranks as early as next season.

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