Mauricio Pochettino says Levi Colwill must fight for his place in his Chelsea team despite rumours the player has signed a new six-year deal.
The 20-year-old made 24 appearances across all competitions while on loan at Brighton last term.
He then won the Under-21 European Championships with England, returning to Stamford Bridge debatably twice the player he was this time last year.
Colwill’s time on loan at the Amex was hugely beneficial for both clubs and the player.
Brighton are very eager to bring the young defender back on a permanent basis and had bids worth £30million and £40m rejected earlier this summer.
Despite Chelsea’s reluctance, Brighton had hoped to get Colwill in return for Moises Caicedo and although the Blues are desperate to sign the latter, they had no interest in agreeing those terms.
Reports now suggest Colwill has agreed a new six-year contract in west London, putting an end to any talk of a return to the south coast. Liverpool had also expressed an interest.
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Amid all the reports about a contract extension, Colwill said goodbye to Brighton on Instagram on Tuesday.
“To Brighton and Hove Albion. I am proud to have played a small part in the clubs success last season,” he wrote.
“You gave me an opportunity to play in the Premier League when no one else did. I thank Graham Potter for first bringing me to the club and to all the employees at the stadium and training ground for making it a great place to perform and develop.
“To the fans, you’ve always had my back! Since I got into the side, your continuous support made me feel comfortable to play the way I wanted to play and not fear about making mistakes. You gave me a platform to shine and show my ability in the best league of the world. I will never forget that you supported me.
“Lastly Roberto De Zerbi, you challenged me every day! You made me think and see football in a different way. I cannot thank you enough.
“Thank you again. LC”
Chelsea are yet to announce Colwill’s new deal but head coach Pochettino has been discussing the player – who has to earn playing time this season.
The 20-year-old has only started one of the Blues’ four pre-season friendlies this summer but Pochettino says he is happy with the player’s progress.
“At the moment I need to see him and get to know him better. He is a fantastic talent of course,” the Argentine said.
“We were talking about the things that also the way that we can help improve his game in all areas. He is so relaxed, calm and I enjoy talking to him. He has great character and personality.
“I am so happy to have him in the squad and to have this opportunity to work together.”
Even with fellow left-footed central defender Benoit Badiashile injured, Pochettino insists Colwill has to fight for his place in his starting XI.
“Well, we assume that he is going to play,” he added. “I was clear with him when talking, we were talking about him having the possibility to compete with different team-mates.
“For sure, he is going to play. The possibility to play because Benoit [Badiashile] is injured and higher because he is left and will compete with Benoit. He needs to deserve, it’s not because of one players’ injury, different types of combinations can happen.
“He needs to show that he is ready to play.”
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