Mauricio Pochettino has praised Chelsea defender Levi Colwill as a ‘fantastic talent’ and has challenged the centre-back to earn a place in his side.
Colwill has returned to Chelsea after a successful loan spell at Brighton last season, while the 20-year-old impressed as England won the u-21 European Championship without conceding a single goal this summer.
Chelsea turned down two bids from Brighton to sign Colwill on a permanent basis and the defender has since agreed a new long-term contract at Stamford Bridge.
Pochettino has praised the talent of the academy graduate and has confirmed Colwill will feature prominently for his side this season, challenging the central defender to compete for his place and show he is ‘ready’ for a regular role in west London.
“At the moment I need to see him and get to know him better. He is a fantastic talent of course,” Pochettino told the club’s official website.
“We were talking about the things that also the way that we can help improve his game in all areas. He is so relaxed, calm and I enjoy talking to him. He has great character and personality. I am so happy to have him in the squad and to have this opportunity to work together.
“I was clear with him when talking, we were talking about him having the possibility to compete with different team-mates.
“For sure, he is going to play. The possibility to play because Benoit [Badiashile] is injured and higher because he is left and will compete with Benoit. He needs to deserve, it’s not because of one players’ injury, different types of combinations can happen. He needs to show that he is ready to play.”
