Growing up, Levi Colwill would watch video clips of Thiago Silva. On Sunday, he will line up alongside him for Chelsea when the Mauricio Pochettino era gets under way at Stamford Bridge.
Colwill will finally make his debut for his boyhood club against Liverpool after he signed a new six-year contract last week to end doubts over his future
Brighton moved to buy the 20-year-old following his loan with them last season, while Tottenham, Manchester City and Liverpool were also monitoring his situation.
Colwill wanted reassurance over his role at Chelsea, but once he “got all the right answers” from Pochettino, he had no hesitation in committing until 2029.
Now, the academy graduate wants to become a Chelsea legend and help bring the glory days back to Stamford Bridge.
“I don’t think it was ever a doubt really,” Colwill tells Standard Sport. “Chelsea has been my club since my ninth birthday, when I first joined. I love this club. I want to win big things with this club and I just had to speak to the gaffer, see what happened and… from there, there was never a doubt.
“I always wanted to be at Chelsea, be a Chelsea player and, hopefully, be a Chelsea legend one day.”
Colwill is regarded as one of the most promising young defenders in English football. He was a key player in the England team that won the European Under-21 Championship this summer and Pochettino said last month that he has the potential to be “one of the greatest centre-backs in England”.
The head coach has a track record of getting the best out of talented youngsters and hopes Colwill can become a leader in his new-look Chelsea team.
“We had the conversation,” explains Colwill. “It’s more of a private sort of thing, I don’t want to out everything he said.
“It was just giving me a bit of confidence to say, if you play well, you’ll have a chance with me, and that’s all I wanted to hear. I asked him how he sees me and I got all the right answers, which give me confidence to show who I am.
“When I’m playing football, I’m at my happiest in life, so that was a big thing for me. The best way to improve [is to play], especially as a young player. If I learn now, I hope in 10 years I will really know what’s going on and hopefully can become a world-class player.”
Colwill has made only 17 Premier League appearances, but he impressed last season under a progressive coach in Roberto De Zerbi, helping Brighton qualify for Europe.
He looks certain for a starting centre-back role on Sunday alongside Silva, a player 18 years his senior who he has studied closely for almost a decade.
“He is amazing,” says Colwill. “He’s just so relaxed. He knows everything that is going on. You can’t put into words how good he is.
“When he was at PSG, I just used to watch clips, because he’s not the biggest, he’s not the fastest, and that’s what I used to be like before I grew a lot. Now, if a 10-year-old Levi saw I was playing with him it would be amazing… the best feeling in the world.”
Chelsea continue to spend as they try to build a team to win the biggest trophies. Last week, they signed France defender Axel Disasi, 25, from Monaco for £38million and Colwill insists he is ready for fierce competition for his spot in the team.
With the team we have got here, anything is possible.
“If you’re playing well, you keep that shirt,” he says. “If not, you can be out for three, four games. That’s the difference in high-level football, everyone around you is so good, you can’t sleep for a second.”
Colwill’s parents are Liverpool fans but he says “everyone” in his family is hoping for a home win this weekend.
It is difficult to know what to expect from Chelsea this season, but Colwill is confident. Can they win a trophy in Pochettino’s first year?
“Why not? It’s a different season with different players,” he says. “I think there’s a different feeling in the changing room. With the team we have got here, anything is possible.”
And so how does Colwill plan to become a Chelsea legend?
“Win trophies, really,” he says. “If you can win everything that is put out in front of us, one day, hopefully one day, I can become a legend. But not just once, keep doing it multiple seasons.”
