Official: Colwill STAYS at Chelsea after €20m deal agreed
Robin Bairner
- 26 Jul 2023 14:02 BST
- 3 min read
Chelsea will retain Levi Colwill this season after Brighton announced the signing of Igor from Fiorentina.
Colwill spent the 2022/23 season on loan with the Seagulls and had dropped hints that it was his intention to remain at the AmEx Stadium, where he was gaining increasing first-team exposure.
Brighton had hoped to persuade the Blues to sell, but with Mauricio Pochettino’s side unwilling to budge over the 20-year-old, they have looked elsewhere for a centre-back.
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Igor has arrived from Fiorentina for a total package worth €20 million, with the 25-year-old set to perform the same function as Colwill.
Not only is the former SPAL player a left-sided centre-back, he plays in the same style as Colwill and will go into Roberto Di Zerbi’s side as a like-for-like replacement.
“Igor is another important player who can help us in a crucial position within the team; where the play starts,” the Italian explained in the aftermath of the deal.
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Colwill going nowhere
What this means for Chelsea is that any lingering doubt over Colwill’s future has been allayed.
Liverpool have also monitored the central defender, but the serious threat over the youngster had come from Brighton.
Chelsea’s need for centre-backs is currently particularly acute as Wesley Fofana is set to miss much of the season after suffering from a serious knee problem.
Colwill will still be in competition for a starting place in the defence with Benoit Badiashile, Thiago Silva, Trevoh Chalobah and Marc Cucurella, and the pressure will be on Pochettino to keep him happy given how highly he is rated.
If Cowill finds himself on the periphery of things in the first months of the season, it would be unsurprising if transfer rumours began to circulate regarding his future by the time the January window rolls around.
