Roberto De Zerbi has admitted that he would like to work with Levi Colwill for a few more years, sending Chelsea a mixed message ahead of the upcoming transfer window. On one hand, the Brighton boss could be suggesting that he wants to sign the defender permanently but, on the other, he could also be lining himself up to replace Frank Lampard in the summer.
Colwill has been heavily linked with an exit from Stamford Bridge recently following some impressive performances while out on loan at the Amex Stadium. The 20-year-old, who sees his contract with the Blues expire in 2025, has featured 13 times for the Seagulls this term, helping De Zerbi's side keep six clean sheets.
football.london understands that the west Londoners have been very impressed with the Colwill's progress and it's believed that his future will be assessed once he returns from loan. With Chelsea yet to make a decision, some of the Premier League's biggest clubs have reportedly formed a queue for the England youth international, who The Sun say could cost as much as £150million.
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However, if De Zerbi was alluding to the head coach vacancy at Stamford Bridge instead then it seems he'll have to leapfrog Mauricio Pochettino. football.london understands that the Blues have held several rounds of 'positive talks' with the former Spurs boss.
While Chelsea are yet to reach an agreement with the 51-year-old, there is confidence that he'll be in the dugout ahead of next season. Nevertheless, De Zerbi is certainly an admirer of Colwill and his gushing comments prove why Chelsea should hold onto the youngster.
Ahead of Brighton's clash against Arsenal on Sunday afternoon, the Seagulls boss 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."
In Mikel Arteta's pre-match press conference, he praised Brighton's clever transfer strategy. The Arsenal boss said: "They have a really clear vision, they’ve been ahead of many other clubs in the way they have handled and made decisions.
"The way they have developed players, recruited talent, the way they have set up the club, the people that they recruit as well is really impressive. I think they have done extremely well. The level of every organisation is much better than it was been before.
"The level of the players, the staff and the coaches – everything has improved. Physically it’s much more demanding, and every detail and every phase of play is dominated in the right way by every opponent.
"That makes the game fascinating because there are a lot of things that can go your way or not go your way in the small margins, and that is the Premier League right now for every team."
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