Chelsea’s £100m star in the making has very quickly become a liability

Chelsea’s landslide in form since the winter has left Enzo Maresca and, indeed, all of a Blues persuasion resigned to the fact the Conference League lies as the club’s major objective for the business months.

The paucity of genuine competition in Europe’s third multi-country tier will temper any celebrations that may spring from claiming the trophy, but it would still be progress and a springboard from which the project could leap from.

While seventh-place Chelsea are still in contention for Champions League qualification, a stone’s throw behind Manchester City in the top four, the performances in recent months have left plenty to be desired.

Cole Palmer isn’t at his free-scoring best right now, but Chelsea have a range of players currently punching below their weight. Indeed, Levi Colwill will know that he has much to improve on – especially after erstwhile claims he was on his way to becoming a £100m player.

Why Colwill was being valued at £100m

Colwill is only 21 years old and has played an important role since graduating from the Cobham academy and then impressing on loan at Brighton & Hove Albion. For Chelsea, he’s now made 56 senior appearances.

The England international’s positional fluidity and natural ball-playing style quickly established him as one of English football’s most exciting young defenders, and he was duly rewarded with an important role under Mauricio Pochettino.

So exciting was his development that Liverpool and French giants Paris Saint-Germain expressed interest in making the signing, though Chelsea issued a stern response by placing a whopping £100m price tag on their homegrown ace, which would have made him the most expensive defender in history.

Last season, Chelsea reporter Simon Phillips described Colwill as “absolutely different class” when placed at centre half.

However, he’s struggled for consistency and authority under Maresca’s wing, with such lofty price tag claims a far cry from his current level.

Colwill’s performances for Enzo Maresca

By and large, Colwill has flattered to deceive over the past several months. However, it’s important to note that with Wesley Fofana injured, the young ace has been placed alongside a host of different partners, thus affecting his and Chelsea’s fluency.

However, some of the Englishman’s lapses simply cannot be defended, with Sky Sports’ Dougie Critchley even going as far as to brand him “inexcusable” in relation to some of his defensive efforts.

His positioning has indeed left plenty to be desired, with Chelsea’s defeat at the AMEX earlier this month laying bare the weak side of Colwill’s game, with pundit Gary Neville particularly scathing of his display, labelling it as a “really bad” one.

Though the Blues man has still managed to showcase many exciting qualities this season, his error-streaked season has proved that Chelsea’s former price tag is perhaps not reflective of his current level.

Last term, Colwill played the lion’s share of his top-flight football on the left side of the backline, whereas this year he has exclusively been used as a centre-back by Maresca. However, he looks shaky and has struggled to uphold the same level of defensive security.

Given that he’s reportedly earning £100k per week, it’s not good enough. Chelsea are bereft of options in central defence at the moment but Colwill could benefit from being withdrawn to recuperate for a time.

In any case, he’s got work to do before building himself up to that level which Chelsea clearly believe he can reach. Time – at least – is on his side.

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