Levi Colwill: “He’s tall, quick, strong, composed and has great leadership qualities.”
Brady Frost, Feature Writer
Twitter: @brady0894
Source for image above: HTAFC
The exciting young defender has joined on loan but is he the answer to The Terriers’ defensive frailties? Paree from Chelsea fansite, The Chelsea Spot talks about Colwill’s potential.
Here is some amazing tactical insight for you, dear reader. If you concede more goals than you score, you’re probably not going to have a great time of it.
So when a team concedes the most goals in the division last season, it’s not surprising that the majority of their summer recruitment focuses on defence. That’s certainly the case for Huddersfield Town, who after shipping in 71 goals in a 46 game Championship campaign, have now signed two fullbacks, two centre backs and a goalkeeper. While defenders are typically never the most exciting recruits to a squad, no matter how necessary they are, this latest addition seems to have got Town fans chomping at the bit.
Levi Colwill, the 18-year-old defender from Chelsea arrives on a season-long loan with plenty of hype around him. Having plied his trade for the London side’s Under-23s, Colwill was called up to train with the senior team towards the end of the season and has already been backed to be another successful Chelsea loanee in the Championship, like other centre backs Fikayo Tomori and Marc Guehi were.
Huddersfield seem to have struck up a good relationship with Chelsea in recent years too as Kasey Palmer, Izzy Brown and Trevoh Chalobah have all had decent loan spells with The Terriers, and the club will be hoping that Colwill will continue the trend.
With the move done and dusted, we wanted to find out what to expect from Town’s newest defender, so we spoke to Paree from Chelsea fansite, The Chelsea Spot, to find out whether we can start getting excited about Colwill’s arrival.
Levi Colwill told the club website: “It is a challenge to play in this league as a young centre half, but the team here has said they believe in me, and I believe in myself. I’ll be ready.”
Photo source: HTAFC
What has the club said?
For a side like Town who won’t pay the big bucks for talent, loans from top Premier League clubs are one of the only ways to address gaps in quality. Head of Football Operations Leigh Bromby emphasised this in the announcement on the club’s website. He said:
“We’ve said that Premier League loans often tend to happen later in a transfer window, as parent clubs understandably want to keep their best youngsters in-house during pre-season. Chelsea have shown real faith in us by making an early decision to send Levi here to continue his development, which is testament to the hard work our team has put in to showcase our plans for him.
“Chelsea have high hopes for Levi, and we believe he can make a real impact for us in the Championship this coming season. He fits all the criteria we look for in our system in a left-sided centre back, and I’m sure he will continue to improve under Carlos and our coaches.”
With Christopher Schindler, Richard Stearman, Tommy Elphick and Richard Keogh having all departed from Huddersfield this summer, the acquisition of Colwill on loan not only addresses the lack of centre backs in the squad but also injects some young eagerness into the first team’s defensive areas.
After the signing was announced, Carlos Corberán said: “I’m looking forward to working with Levi this season, as he is a very talented player with big potential.” Photo source: HTAFC
What has the player said?
Having signed on loan for the club in late June, after signing a new long-term contract at Stamford Bridge, Levi Colwill is aware that the transition from Under-23s will not be straightfoward.
“This will be a big step up for me, from playing Under-23s football. I’m coming to a big club with real expectations, so I have to step up and show everybody what I’m made of,” he said.
“It’s going to be a big challenge – I know that – but I’m ready to take it on. I need to prove to everyone that I’m going to be a good player, and that I am now – it’s as simple as that.”
At 18 years old, Colwill will have to compete with experienced centre backs Matty Pearson and Naby Sarr for a starting position in the team. Having been championed as ‘the next John Terry’ by some eager Chelsea fans, and taking the number 26 shirt which is significant to Blues and Huddersfield supporters suggests he’s ready to make his case.
Huddersfield Town’s Head of Football Operations, Leigh Bromby said: “It’s fantastic that we’ve been able to take the opportunity to bring a player as talented as Levi to the Club.Photo source: HTAFC
What can we expect from him?
Levi Colwill has been with Chelsea since the Under-9 age group and has risen all the way through to Under-23 level, but according to Paree from Chelsea fansite, The Chelsea Spot, the hype has only ramped up in the last six months.
We spoke to Paree to see what impact Colwill can make at Huddersfield Town and what fans can expect in regards to his style of play.
What type of player are Huddersfield Town getting in Levi Colwill and what do you make of the move?
Levi’s a centre back who has impressed in Chelsea’s development squad for the last 18 months. He broke into the team at just the age of 16, and ever since then has impressed heavily. Personally, I think the move will be brilliant for him. Yes, Huddersfield struggled last season and conceded quite a lot of goals, but hopefully, he can be that glue that sorts out some of your problems.
How would you describe his playing style?
He’s a very composed player on the ball. His left foot is a thing of dreams and he’s constantly looking to move it quickly and forward. His defending is brilliant too, with him constantly winning headers and getting stuck in - he’s certainly not afraid to make a challenge but at the same time he does it with discipline.
What would you say his strengths and weaknesses are?
His strengths are pretty much as mentioned above, and I genuinely can’t think of any standout weaknesses on the top of my head. I guess his biggest challenge will be moving into professional football for the first time, but I’m sure he’ll deal with it very well.
We’ve seen a lot of young Chelsea centre backs do well in the Championship, Tomori, Guehi. Do you think Colwill can have a similar impact?
He certainly can. Guehi should be the perfect role model for him to be honest. Marc has gone out to the Championship, absolutely smashed it and become a top prospect in the country, and now there are talks of him staying with the Chelsea squad next season. Levi certainly can follow a similar route, and perhaps his left foot gives him an advantage over others.
A lot of youth players get hyped up but what is it about Colwill that has made Chelsea fans so excited about him?
To be fair, his hype has only started in the last six months - not many were aware of him before. I guess it’s probably because he has a perfect build and style for a centre back, and it’s a position which the Chelsea academy hasn’t produced properly in for a while, we’ve tried Clarke-Salter for example but it hasn’t worked out. He’s tall, quick, strong, composed and has great leadership qualities. There isn’t much else you want in a centre back.
What has the fan reaction to his loan move been like? Can you tell us more about his relationship with the fans?
The fans in general seem to be very happy with his move. He needed to challenge himself as he was too good for the 23s, and a Championship loan is perfect for that. The relationship may not be as developed as most, but I’m sure everyone will be watching Huddersfield week in, week out to support him.
Is there anything we should know about Levi Colwill that we don’t already?
If I haven’t mentioned it enough, he’s one to watch. The England camp rate him very highly, and so do the Chelsea board and really want him to be integrated into the first team eventually.
Levi Colwill finished the season training with Thomas Tuchel’s senior squad in the build-up to their Champions League victory over Manchester City. Photo source: HTAFC
Will he be a success?
If you want hot takes then we’re fresh out but it certainly looks promising on paper. Loan moves can be successful for the player and the club or provide a youngster with experience and maybe underwhelm fans of the club that they’ve joined on loan. For every loan of an Emile Smith Rowe or Ben Chilwell there’s an Andy King or Jason Puncheon.
For Thomas Tuchel to call up Levi Colwill to the senior team for training towards the end of last season suggests he’s highly thought of at Chelsea, and having signed a new four-year deal before joining Huddersfield means they see a promising future in the young defender.
He’s yet to make a first-team appearance for the London side but that’s no slight on Colwill, this is an Champions League winning squad after all. We’ve seen how well young Chelsea defenders have done on loan in the Championship, see Fikayo Tomori at Derby and Marc Guehi at Swansea. The plaudits from Chelsea supporters seem to suggest Colwill was also more highly thought of than those two before departing on loan, so it’s easy to talk yourself into thinking this will be a success.
Only time will tell how Levi Colwill adapts to Championship football and Carlos Corberán’s methods, but after the dreadful second half to the season, let’s just allow ourselves to get caught in the excitement just this once.
How will Levil Colwill get on at Huddersfield Town? Let us know in the comments.
