Defence has been an issue for Chelsea all season. Obviously, a lot has been made of their lack of goals, which is a problem as well, but over the course of the campaign, the Blues have been far too shaky at the back to be challenging for major trophies. That became even clearer when Liam Rosenior became manager.
Now, going into the Manchester City game, Chelsea will know that they will need to be tight at the back if they want to win. Some are even predicting a three-man backline, as we saw against Liverpool.
That became possible only due to the return of Levi Colwill to the starting XI. The Englishman had been out since pre-season after picking up an ACL injury. His importance to the team became even more evident in his absence.
Now, there are some question marks over how he will perform moving forward. Could the ACL injury have an impact in the long run? Chelsea do not seem to have such concerns. According to the Daily Mail, Colwill is loved around the club. It is also believed that the two parties have been in talks regarding his contract
Chelsea believed to be in talks with Colwill over contract extension
Reece James and Moises Caicedo recently signed extensions with Chelsea despite the poor performances on the pitch. Colwill is believed to have a contract until 2029. The club also have the option to trigger an extra 12 months.
But it is very likely that they would want to extend that. James’ new deal runs until 2032. Caicedo has been handed a contract until 2033. One would imagine that the club would like to have Colwill on the same timeline as well.
It remains to be seen if a new contract can be agreed. Colwill has been linked with a move away in the past. Clubs like Liverpool and Bayern Munich were believed to have had him on their radar. But he has remained at Chelsea and become a starter. Hopefully, that will remain the case for years to come.
Colwill must remain an integral part of this team
Colwill is the best defender that Chelsea have. That has become quite clear this season, even in his absence.
Even in his first start since the ACL injury, Colwill seemed to improve the Chelsea backline immediately in the game against Liverpool. And one would imagine that he will only grow better as he gets more minutes in his tank.
The upcoming game against Manchester City is going to be a big test for Colwill. It will be interesting to see how he handles Pep Guardiola’s side going forward, so soon after returning from such a long layoff.
Sourav Mahanty
Sourav Mahanty has covered teams like Chelsea, Celtic, Real Madrid, Manchester United, PSG and more over a career that has now lasted a decade. His work has been featured on Sports Illustrated, Athlon Sports, SB Nation, FanSided, The Sportster and aggregated through Bleacher Report and NewsNow. Outside of football, he is also interested in basketball, cricket and professional wrestling.
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