Chelsea Coach Eyes Surprise Replacement For Injured Levi Colwill After ACL Blow

‎Chelsea centre-back, Levi Colwill, sustained an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury during training, the Premier League club announced late Thursday.

‎The 22-year-old is expected to miss a significant portion of the upcoming season. Chelsea also confirmed that he has undergone successful surgery for the injury.

‎It typically takes six to nine months for a player to recover from an ACL injury and return to action.

‎”The 22-year-old had reported back to Cobham for pre-season at the start of this week, before unfortunately sustaining the injury in training,” Chelsea said in a statement.

‎”Medical assessments confirmed surgery would be the required course of action.

‎”Levi will begin his recovery and be supported by the club’s medical department at Cobham during his rehabilitation phase.”

‎Levi Colwill made 43 appearances for Chelsea across all competitions last season and helped the club win the Club World Cup in July. Chelsea finished fourth in the previous season.

‎Potential replacement

‎Chelsea was already considering a potential central defender, with Wesley Fofana just returning from injury. The club has explored options such as Marc Guehi, Joel Ordonez of Club Brugge, Konstantinos Koulierakis of Wolfsburg, and Ilia Zabarnyi from Bournemouth.

‎Following Colwill’s injury and Benoit Badiashile’s upcoming absence until September, the club is now reassessing its left-sided options.

‎While they recently signed hybrid defender Jorrel Hato, some within the club are now advocating for the use of their existing players rather than bringing in additional new signings.

‎They will start their 2025-26 Premier League campaign against Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge on August 17.