Chelsea and England have been dealt a crushing blow with Levi Colwill forced to undergo surgery on an ACL injury suffered on his first day back in pre-season training.
The influential 22-year-old picked up the serious problem in the final few minutes of the Blues’ opening session of 2025-26 after a three-week break following the Club World Cup.
He was sent for a scan to assess the damage and after Chelsea’s worst fears were confirmed, an immediate decision was taken to send him for an operation.
The club last night told us that his surgery had been successful, but Colwill will be sidelined for a significant period, much like James Maddison at Tottenham Hotspur after he likewise suffered a ruptured ACL this week.
Colwill started all but three of Chelsea’s Premier League fixtures last season while also helping them win the Conference League and Club World Cup.
The Blues are now assessing whether to bring in a new central defender this month.
Levi Colwill (centre) picked up a season-limiting ACL injury during his first training session back with Chelsea after the break
The defender has been a key part of the club’s first-team plans and helped Chelsea win last month’s Club World Cup
Enzo Maresca’s side will now consider a move for a replacement in the transfer window
Marc Guehi is one left-sided centre back they have long admired and the 25-year-old has now entered the final year of his contract at Crystal Palace, who are believed to value him at £40million. Chelsea sold Guehi to Palace for £18m in 2021 before their new owners, Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, took over the club.
Maresca said yesterday on Colwill at a press conference ahead of their weekend friendlies versus Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan: ‘We don’t know how long he is going to be out. For sure, it’s a problem for us. I spoke with him yesterday and told him that if we achieved what we achieved last year, it is also because of him and he was a main player for us.’