Chelsea loanee Levi Colwill has said he is not going to 'complain' with the comparisons circulating on social media and within the media comparing his career path and game to Blues legend John Terry.
Colwill, 19, has had a rather fruitful season in the Championship with Huddersfield Town where he and fellow Chelsea loanee Tino Anjorin have helped the Terriers make the playoffs. The defender's performances throughout 2021/22 have caught the eye of many Premier League clubs including Leicester City who have already registered their interest in the next Terry according to various reports. However, it is more than likely that Thomas Tuchel will want to see Colwill in pre-season before he makes his mind up about his compatibility within his squad, just like he did with Trevoh Chalobah.
If things were to go well for the young Englishman in pre-season, just like current Crystal Palace loanee Conor Gallagher, both are expected to be handed squad roles at the very minimum with many of the current first-team set-up expected to pack up their bags and leave, as per The Athletic. The defence itself in west London is an area of concern with the likes of Marcos Alonso, Cesar Azpilicueta, Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen all expected to leave for various La Liga sides in the summer meaning four roles potentially open up for internal and external recruitment by the new ownership structure, which is likely to include Todd Boehly in it if the latest reports are to be believed.
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It is understood already that Jules Kounde is still a prime target to be recruited in the backline but Colwill himself, who has been compared to Terry and his former Three Lions teammate Rio Ferdinand, could join the Frenchman in making up the foundation of what could look like a really new and refreshed defence for the start of 2022/23. “I’ll take it,” he said to The Athletic. regarding the constant Terry comparisons. “I’m not going to complain. It’s not a bad thing to be called the new John Terry.
“I haven’t made the comparison myself so the fans and media can make whatever comparisons they want to make, it isn’t going to affect me. John Terry is a club legend and leader, someone every centre-back at Chelsea should look up to. A great guy and player. I’ve not had the chance to speak to him too much. When he was around the academy building we’d have the odd little chat but it’d be more of a, ‘Hi, how are you?’, kind of thing, not on a personal level about football or things like that.”
In defence of many fans, these Terry comparisons initially came about due to the shirt number the loanee choose upon his move to Huddersfield but Colwill himself has explained all and clarified what happened. “Everyone is saying it’s because of John, but it’s because that’s the date of my birthday (Colwill was born on February 26, 2003). It was my number when I was growing up, even if I was just playing a football game on PlayStation," he revealed.
“When Huddersfield told me I was going to get the No 26 shirt it was perfect. Obviously, all the Chelsea fans started comparing me to John Terry. Have I thought about changing it because of that? No.” By joining the Chelsea backline for next season, the 19-year-old will be applying his trade alongside a great of the game in the form of Thiago Silva and the current Championship player spoke about his limited experiences so far with the Brazilian international which bodes well if you are a Blues fans.
“It was surreal,” he said when reflecting on having the opportunity to train alongside the former Paris Saint-Germain man. “I wasn’t daunted though. I just tried to keep my composure and not look like a fanboy. I didn’t get a chance to speak to him properly while I was with the first team. What do I like about how he plays? His composure and how he reads the game. The way he is always stepping ahead of everyone else and not out of position. He cancels out the danger early and that’s what the great centre-backs do. It’s not about reacting to the danger when an opponent has made a move. It’s about reading the situation early and stopping it. That’s what I try to do.”
Colwill himself throughout the interview never wanted to get carried away with all the hype as he like many others know he is still a rough diamond that needs to be nurtured but one thing he knows for certain that will excite Chelsea supporters is that he himself is ready for the challenge of the 'Premier League.'
