Chelsea confirm Levi Colwill anterior cruciate ligament injury, surgery deemed 'successful'
Updated 07/08/2025 at 21:26 GMT+1
Chelsea have confirmed defender Levi Colwill has undergone surgery on an anterior cruciate ligament injury (ACL). The news comes as a significant blow for the Club World Cup champions ahead of their return to the UEFA Champions League in the 2025/26 season, with Colwill emerging as a crucial member of Enzo Maresca's back line. The 22-year-old will miss a significant period of the new season.
Maresca guarded on Jackson future, discusses Colwill injury
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Levi Colwill has undergone "successful" surgery for an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury he sustained in training, Chelsea confirmed on Thursday.
Following their Club World Cup triumph in the United States this summer, Chelsea said Colwill returned to their Cobham base this week but sustained the injury on the training ground.
The Premier League club added after he sustained the knee issue that "medical assessments confirmed surgery would be the required course of action".
The 22-year-old proved a significant member of Enzo Maresca's squad last season, playing 43 times in all competitions, and was a leading figure in the Club World Cup, playing all 90 minutes in the 3-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the final and setting up Cole Palmer's second goal at the MetLife Stadium.
"Levi will now begin his recovery and be supported by the club's medical department at Cobham during his rehabilitation phase," Chelsea said in a statement.
An academy product at Stamford Bridge, Colwill broke into Chelsea's first team during the 2023/24 season after loan spells with Huddersfield Town and Brighton & Hove Albion.
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Maresca guarded on Jackson future, discusses Colwill injury
Video credit: SNTV
He was a part of the third-sternest defence in the Premier League last season, with only Arsenal and Liverpool conceding fewer than the 43 league goals Chelsea shipped.
Colwill started 35 of Chelsea's 38 Premier League matches last season, helping the club to a fourth-placed finish and return to the UEFA Champions League.
Maresca said earlier this week that Chelsea "will wait and see" when asked whether the club would move to sign a centre-back in place of the injured Colwill.
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"You know in our way, how important Levi has been," Maresca said. "I spoke with him yesterday and I told him that if we achieve what we achieved last year, it is also because of him - and he was a main player for us."
ACL injuries typically take between six and nine months to heal.
Manchester City midfielder Rodri suffered an ACL injury in September last year, and returned to action in May as a substitute against Bournemouth.
Chelsea face Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan in pre-season friendlies before starting their Premier League season at home to Crystal Palace on August 17.
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