Levi Colwill has admitted that he "can understand" why Chelsea moved to appointed Graham Potter to replace Thomas Tuchel. The young defender, who won man of the match for England Under-21s in their win over Germany, has hailed his former boss - who he only worked with for a matter of days.
On the summer transfer deadline day, the 19-year-old joined Brighton and Hove Albion from the Blues on a season-long loan as he sought greater first-team opportunities. Colwill was one of Potter's final signings, but the former Seagulls boss left soon after.
The England youth international, whose contract at Stamford Bridge expires in 2025, featured just three times for Brighton during Potter's tenure at the Amex Stadium; two of which were cameos off the bench in the Premier League and the other was against League One outfit Forest Green Rovers in the Carabao Cup.
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And, having been left impressed by the 47-year-old's work on and off the training pitch, Colwill was not surprised to see Chelsea pursue Potter. Prior to a man of the match display for England Under-21s versus Germany, the teenage sensation spoke on the Blues' appointment.
"You could tell straight away from stepping in on day one that he’s such a big person to be around," he said, as quoted by Football Daily. "In terms of the team, everyone respects him for what he does on and off the pitch. You could tell his levels were the highest they could be. I understand why Chelsea have gone for him."
Colwill then dropped a small transfer hint. He said: "It’s life, it’s football. If a player gets an offer from a team that’s also in the Champions League and Europe, they’re going to think about it. Obviously Graham took his opportunity to take it, so I can’t really say anything about that. I just wish him well."
Colwill, who has been likened to John Terry in recent times, is set to return to Cobham training ground and reunite with Potter in the summer once he loan on the south coast comes to an end. The new Blues boss is renowned for developing young players and, having already established a relationship at Brighton, the west Londoners could finally be replacing the famous No.26.
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