Chelsea defender Levi Colwill has joined Brighton and Hove Albion on a season-long loan, it has been confirmed.
The 19-year-old had been linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge this summer after only playing 45 minutes in pre-season under Thomas Tuchel.
While it was previously reported that Colwill was set for a permanent move to Brighton and Hove Albion, this is now not the case.
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With Marc Cucurella officially joining Chelsea for a fee of £63 million in total, the Blues will now allow Colwill to depart on loan.
Speaking ahead of Chelsea’s first game of the Premier League season as they face Everton at Goodison Park, head coach Tuchel confirmed the likelihood of Colwill departing this summer.
Speaking on Cucurella’s signing allowing Colwill to join Brighton, Tuchel said: “It’s not done yet. I don’t want to tell you that I know nothing. The paperwork is in process and hopefully we can get it finished before noon and Marc is our player.
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"He is a fantastic, young player. Hungry, mobile, very intelligent player. Can play several positions in our system, that’s why we hope the transfer goes through and then if it goes through, it opens some options like for Levi Colwill to maybe find some more game time elsewhere.”
The German continued to reveal that pre-season was difficult to judge Colwill, who will benefit from a Premier League loan.
“It’s a bit hard to judge him.
"He came back, there was not a lot of game time in pre-season to give to him because of a little injury in training,” he continued.
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“We think the situation is the situation, it is always very individual.
"If there is a possibility for him to have a good loan or a situation where he can develop and improve, we are open to any talks and solutions.”
Chelsea have now announced that the defender will spend the season with Graham Potter’s side, taking to the official website to reveal the season-long loan.
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Speaking to Brighton’s website, Potter explained his excitement about signing Colwill ahead of the new season.
“I am really looking forward to working with him on the training pitch, and in matches over the course of the season,” he said.
“He plays mostly at centre-back, but has also played on the left as a full-back, and he is a player who is comfortable on the ball.”
The 19-year-old will be hoping to return to Chelsea next season in order to compete for his place in Tuchel’s defence.
Topics: Chelsea, Chelsea Transfer News & Rumours, Levi Colwill, Brighton And Hove Albion, Football, Transfers, Marc Cucurella
Nick Emms