Brighton & Hove Albion owner and chairman Tony Bloom has confirmed that his club tried to sign Chelsea defender Levi Colwill during the summer transfer window.
Levi Colwill spent last season on loan at the Amex Stadium and Brighton wanted to keep him, but Bloom says Chelsea were unwilling to sell the centre-back.
Speaking to MyAlbion TV, the Seagulls owner said: “Obviously, Levi was hugely important for us last season. He went back and that was expected. We were hoping to perhaps do a deal with Chelsea, but they really wanted to keep him, which is fair enough. He’s their player.”
It now looks unlikely that Colwill will be leaving Chelsea anytime soon. Since returning to Stamford Bridge, the 20-year-old has signed a new long-term contract.
He has been a key player for Mauricio Pochettino so far this season, starting in all four of the Blues’ Premier League matches.
Chelsea’s stance the correct one
Chelsea made the right call; selling Colwill to Brighton would have been silly.
The centre-half, who was “outstanding” for England during the U21 European Championship over the summer, according to Gareth Southgate, ticks so many boxes.
He is young, homegrown, has a bit of Premier League experience and is a good height for someone his age playing in the English top flight.
Chelsea also started the season without Benoit Badiashile and Wesley Fofana, with the latter out for a while, so their decision to keep Colwill is really benefiting them right now.
He has been playing at left-back, while Ben Chilwell has started further ahead of him on the left flank, but sooner or later, you would expect Colwill to return to his natural position.
It is hard to imagine Chilwell, a defender by trade, remaining in the team’s attack for the rest of the campaign.
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