Mauricio Pochettino claims he wants to improve Lewi Colwill more at Chelsea
Mauricio Pochettino has promised Levi Colwill he will do his best to help him improve after the centre-back made an appearance in our 4-3 pre-season friendly win against Brighton & Hove Albion.
At Lincoln Financial Field, the Blues defeated Brighton 4-3 to earn their second preseason victory in the United States, and Colwill, who spent last season on loan at Brighton, displayed his versatility at the back.
The 20-year-old was on the pitch for 81 minutes and was later replaced by Lewis Hall. Colwill will have big shoes to fill next season, given that the Blues could be short on defenders after Cesar Azpilicueta’s exit and Wesley Fofana’s ACL injury.
With Fofana ruled out with a long-term injury and Benoit Badiashile also recovering, the Blues currently have Thiago Silva, Trevoh Chalobah, and Colwill as their first-team centre-back options.
Pochettino has assured the Englishman that he will give the centre-back all the tools necessary for further development. Speaking to NBCSportsSoccer, as quoted by Fabrizio Romano, the Argentine manager said:
“Levi is a fantastic player. The potential is massive. He was fantastic last season with Brighton and England. We need to do our best to improve him. He’s great in the present and has the capacity to improve in the future.”
Pochettino’s statements make it apparent that he believes Colwill is one of the top centre-backs in his age bracket and that he wants him to remain at the club because he believes he is Chelsea’s future. He is young, quick, smart on the ball and isn’t afraid to stick out a foot when it matters most.
Poch saying he has to improve should be taken in a positive light here. It seems clear that he means Colwill can get even better given his age and inexperience right now.
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There have been claims of interest from Brighton for Colwill. It is natural that a player of his ilk attracts interest like that. When all of our centre-backs are fit, Colwill may struggle to start regularly in Poch’s four-man backline. But right now, and in the long run, he is very, very important for us.