Harry Redknapp has branded Levi Colwill as a 'Rolls-Royce defender' following Brighton's emphatic win over Arsenal. The 20-year-old defender played a crucial role in the Seagulls' victory at the Emirates Stadium as they climbed into a Europa League qualification place.
Colwill, who sees his contract at Stamford Bridge expire in 2025, has featured 14 times in the Premier League this season, helping De Zerbi's side keep six clean sheets. football.london understands that Chelsea have been very impressed with the his progress and it's said that his future will be assessed once he returns from his loan in the summer.
Redknapp was very complimentary of the England youth international and insisted that it will be 'difficult' for any club to snatch him from the Blues. The former Tottenham boss told BetVictor : "I loved what I saw from young Levi Colwill against Arsenal.
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"He’s what I would call a Rolls-Royce of a defender, I think he’s got so much potential. He’s got a lovely foot and he’s quick, strong and so composed with the ball at his feet.
"Obviously, he’s on-loan from Chelsea and Brighton would love to sign him permanently, that will be difficult though."
Ahead of the Seagulls' trip to north London on Sunday afternoon, De Zerbi admitted that he wants to continue working with Colwill for a few more years. The 43-year-old said: "I would like to work with him for another two, three, four years.
"It’s difficult to find a another centre-back, left centre-back, with his quality. He’s a good guy, I think he’s improving a lot. This year his improvement has been fantastic. I hope he can stay with us."
Colwill is not the only players to have been branded a 'Rolls-Royce defender' in recent years. Speaking on Sky Sports three years ago, Paul Merson used the term to describe Virgil van Dijk when debating who the best centre-half in the world is.
"It’s a hard one," said the Arsenal legend, as quoted by the Liverpool Echo. "Ramos has been around a long time – he’s scored more goals than some centre-forwards have scored in their careers.
"I think with Van Dijk, he has a reputation, people are scared of him. People don’t go past him, they square up and think, ‘Oh my god, it’s Virgil van Dijk, I can’t get past him!’
"I think that’s the problem, he gets good cover. He’s a Rolls Royce. Is he the best in the world? I’ll have to see when the World Cup comes around and who he’s playing against."
While Colwill is still some way off from emulating Van Dijk's success, Arsenal have certainly helped Chelsea realise they have their very own 'Rolls-Royce' in their garage waiting to be shifted into gear...
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