Chelsea have confirmed that defender Levi Colwill has signed a new six-year contract, with the option of a further season.
Colwill will now extend his stay at Stamford Bridge until at least 2029, having joined the west London club at under-9s level.
“It’s always been an easy decision,” Colwill said. “As I’ve grown up, all I’ve known is Chelsea. I’ve spoken with the manager and he’s given me reassurance, that trust I needed.
“He’s spoken with me not just as a player but a person. It’s made a big difference.”
New Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino previously said that Colwill has the potential to become one of the best defenders in the world, and speaking earlier this week, the Argentine appeared to confirm the 20-year-old is set for a starting role early in the season.
“We assume that he is going to play,” Pochettino said. “I was clear with him when we were talking for him to have the possibility to compete with teammates about who deserves to play. For sure, if he deserves to play he’s going to play.
“Of course, his possibility to play is higher because Benoit is injured and he is a left centre-back, but he needs to deserve it. If one player is injured, there are different kinds of combinations that can happen. He needs to show that he is ready to play and deserves to play.”
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The Athletic reported earlier this week that Colwill had agreed a new contract with Chelsea.
The centre-back returned to Chelsea this summer following a successful loan at Brighton & Hove Albion in the 2022-23 season. Roberto De Zerbi’s side had made Colwill their top summer transfer target after a string of impressive performances.
Though he only made 17 Premier League appearances for Brighton last season, Colwill played an important role in helping the south-coast side secure European football with a sixth-placed finish.
After starting in all but one of the England Under-21s successful in their Euros campaign earlier this summer, Colwill has featured throughout Chelsea’s pre-season tour in the U.S., including in the 4-3 win against Brighton earlier this month.
He previously spent the 2021-22 campaign on loan at Huddersfield Town, impressing as the West Yorkshire side reached the Championship play-off final where they lost to Nottingham Forest.
Chelsea play Liverpool in their opening game of the Premier League campaign on August 13.
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(Photo: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
