Chelsea suffered an enormous blow on Thursday with the news that Levi Colwill will likely miss the majority of the season due to a serious knee injury.
Colwill faces the prospect of at least six months on the sidelines, jeopardising his chances of playing for England at the World Cup.
While this is a personal tragedy for the 22-year-old centre-back, it also leaves Enzo Maresca with a huge hole to fill in his defence.
Chelsea do have the luxury of the transfer window being open for a handful more weeks in order to find a replacement.
But time is short for the Stamford Bridge side. FootballTransfers has looked at the Blues’ options with SciSports.
What Chelsea are looking for in a Colwill replacement
If Chelsea go back into the transfer market, they will likely look for a player with a similar style to Colwill. On top of this, the Blues have made a habit of signing players 24 or under.
They will also take into account the immediate impact a player might have as well as their future potential. Given Colwill’s replacement could be forced into first-team action soon, they will likely want someone who is in a period of positive development, pointing to good form currently.
Profile of Chelsea’s next centre-back signing
- Age: 14-24
- Similarity to Levi Colwill: 80% or more
- SciSkill: 95 minimum
- SciSkill potential: 115 minimum
- SciSkill development: Positive
The options
Unrealistic targets like William Saliba and Willian Pacho can be disregarded immediately, but there are centre-backs out there who fit the bill for Chelsea.
In particular, there are three players the Blues could look at, also assuming that Everton will not sell Jarrad Branthwaite a month after he signed a new five-year deal with them.
Maxime Esteve (Burnley)
Estimated Transfer Value (ETV): €26.7m
The young Frenchman has made significant strides in recent months with Burnley and comes into the new Premier League season as one to watch.
He is not seen as an expensive option and with the Blues already in talks with the Clarets over the sale of Armando Broja, perhaps there’s a deal that can be done here.
Esteve is an outstanding defender, but his passing needs some work.
Ilya Zabarnyi (Bournemouth)
Estimated Transfer Value (ETV): €59.2m
Do Chelsea fancy a challenge? If so, Zabarnyi could be the move for them.
The 22-year-old is closing in on a move to PSG that has been on the cards for weeks, but progress in these negotiations has been slow. The Blues could force the issue with a decisive bid.
Certainly, the Ukraine international ticks a lot of boxes for Maresca. At 22, he is still young and has enormous potential, while he is first-team ready, having already played a full season in the Premier League.
Zabarnyi will not come cheap and appears to have his sights set on the Champions League winners. Until a deal is done, though, his future is up in the air.
Another major drawback is that he is right-sided. Colwill typically plays left centre-back for the Blues.
Murillo (Nottingham Forest)
Estimated Transfer Value (ETV): €66m
Chelsea had a bid rejected for Murillo during the January transfer window, and it could be time to revisit that deal in the wake of the Colwill blow.
The left-sided Brazilian is seen as a player who can step into the Englishman’s shoes immediately, having shone for Forest last season as they secured European football.
Perhaps surprisingly, SciSports rate him as the poorest of the three options here while he is also the most expensive. Nevertheless, he enjoyed a standout 2024/25 campaign and meets all the criteria for Chelsea’s next centre-back.
A habit of giving the ball away and a high foul count against him are two marks against the 23-year-old, who is an outstanding performer when it comes to breaking up attacks.
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