Chelsea have been hit with a major injury setback after defender Levi Colwill sustained an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury during pre-season training.
The 22-year-old had only just returned to the club’s Cobham training ground earlier this week, following a three-week break after Chelsea’s Club World Cup triumph in the United States. However, he picked up the injury during his first training session back.
Head coach Enzo Maresca, speaking ahead of Chelsea’s upcoming pre-season matches against Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan, confirmed the unfortunate news.
“We’ve had an issue with Levi Colwill over the last two days,” Maresca said. “We don’t know exactly how long he’ll be out for but hopefully not too long but for now, we need to wait and see. It happened in the final minutes of our first session on Monday. He felt something and we later found out it was serious.”
After further medical examinations, Chelsea confirmed that Colwill underwent successful surgery to repair the ACL injury. A club statement read:
“Defender Levi Colwill has today undergone successful surgery to an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
The 22-year-old had reported back to Cobham earlier this week before unfortunately sustaining the injury during training.
Medical assessments determined that surgery was necessary, and Levi will now begin his recovery process with full support from the club’s medical team.”
Colwill, who was instrumental in Chelsea’s 2024/25 campaign, is now expected to miss the majority of the upcoming season. His absence leaves a significant gap in the Blues’ defensive lineup.
In response, Chelsea may turn to the transfer market to reinforce their backline. The club recently secured the signing of versatile defender Jorrel Hato from Ajax, who can play at left centre-back. Other centre-back options include Tosin Adarabioyo, Trevoh Chalobah, Benoit Badiashile, and Aaron Anselmino though injuries have disrupted availability among them. Axel Disasi is also expected to depart this summer.
Meanwhile, Wesley Fofana has resumed training after recovering from hamstring surgery in April. While he won’t feature in the upcoming friendlies, Maresca revealed he could be available for Chelsea’s Premier League opener against Crystal Palace on August 17.
“Wes is back in training,” Maresca confirmed. “He’s not ready for the next two matches, but we hope he’ll be fit in time for the Palace game.”
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