Levi Colwill Interview: Chelsea star outlines aspirations, Pochettino chat and more
Levi Colwill, Chelsea’s new number 26, is one of the most popular faces in Cobham and undoubtedly the future of his boyhood club. From watching Thiago Silva as a youngster to having no second thoughts on extending his stay at Stamford Bridge, the 20-year-old sat down to lift the lid on his personal ambitions.
Following a European Championship staging with the U21s and an impressive loan spell at Brighton and Hove Albion, Colwill committed his long-term future to Chelsea, signing a six-year deal at the start of the month.
In a smooth run of events, beginning with Chelsea’s position of attaching a ‘not for sale’ label on their academy prodigy, to Mauricio Pochettino’s convincing project, Colwill decided to stay put in West London despite recurring bids from Brighton.
Asserting in his demeanor, the confident young center-half said “I don’t think it was ever a doubt really. Chelsea has been my club since my ninth birthday when I signed. Obviously, I love this club a lot. I want to win big things with this club, and I just had to speak to the gaffer, see what happened from there and like I said there was never a doubt. I always wanted to be at Chelsea, be a Chelsea player and hopefully be a Chelsea legend one day.”
To openly concede his plans in that manner ahead of his debut speaks volumes to the values instilled at Cobham. John Terry, Reece James, and plenty more possess a ‘win-or-nothing’ attitude developed with the confidence of reaching the summit.
Colwill would go on to outline his plans in the simplest form – win trophies at Chelsea. After all, that’s what they’ve been taught at the academy from the age of six and beyond. “Win trophies really. If we can win everything that gets put out in front of us hopefully one day I become a legend. But not just once, keep doing it in multiple seasons,” he continued.
Pochettino and co. enjoyed a preseason without defeat, certainly a more positive one than last year’s where the players were burnt out, transfer strategies weren’t put in place and the Chelsea owners had different plans than those of Tuchel.
Colwill, already building valuable chemistry with his manager, lavished praise on the Argentinian, stating “I spoke to the gaffer, asked him how he sees me and I got all the right answers and he gave me the confidence to come here and show who I am and so far I think I’ve had a decent preseason. The gaffer is a really, really good guy. I can go up and talk to him about anything so it is really easy for me. 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.”
Colwill, much like any other defender that has shared the pitch with Thiago Silva, was in awe of how much there is to learn, and just how outstanding the veteran is even at his advanced age.
The Chelsea back line comprises Benoit Badiashile, Trevoh Chalobah, recruit Alex Disasi, and the injured Wesley Fofana. However, Colwill and Thiago could partner with each other in the middle for the Blues on the opening weekend against Liverpool.
Colwill pointed out Thiago’s world-class abilities as a reader, given that he’s not the quickest, strongest or tallest player to lead a back line. He added “He is a joke. 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. I remember when I was younger I used to watch clips of him the day before a game. 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.”
Such is Thiago Silva’s leadership. Colwill is only one of many defenders to have picked his brains and taken their game to a newer level. Their partnership, should they play in front of the goalkeeper, will be crucial against a Liverpool outfit that has looked closer to the free-flowing, heavy-metal style we know them to be.
It’s safe to say Colwill’s big step – a first season at Chelsea – will play a huge part in where the club finishes in the Premier League this season.
-Roy Akarshak
Twitter: @RoyAkarshak
Photo: Ardfern. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.