Chelsea confirm Colwill surgery after ACL injury

Chelsea have confirmed defender Levi Colwill has undergone successful surgery after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.

The 22-year-old reported back to Cobham for pre-season training on Monday before suffering the setback during training.

A statement from the club read: “Medical assessments confirmed surgery would be the required course of action.

“Levi will now begin his recovery and be supported by the club’s medical department at Cobham during his rehabilitation phase.”

Colwill featured 38 times across all competitions for Chelsea last season before then joining up with England for games against Andorra and Senegal once the 2024/25 campaign had finished.

He played 90 minutes during the 3-1 defeat to Senegal.

Colwill then flew to America for the Club World Cup with Chelsea, playing five games, including a 118-minute outing against Benfica, on their way to lifting the trophy.

The news arrives just hours after Tottenham confirmed James Maddison had ruptured his ACL during their pre-season clash against Newcastle.

Maresca refuses to rule out signing Colwill replacement

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca was asked about Colwill’s injury in a press conference on Thursday and admitted it could force the club into further transfer activity this summer.

Chelsea’s latest signing was defender Jorrel Hato from Ajax, while they also have Tosin Adarabioyo, Trevoh Chalobah, Wesley Fofana, Josh Acheampong and Benoit Badiashile to fill the position.

But Maresca did not rule out going into the transfer market to cover for Colwill’s injury.

“It depends,” he said in a press conference on Thursday ahead of the friendly against Bayer Leverkusen on Friday.

“We need to wait and then we’ll see. We know each other from last year and you know in our way how important Levi has been.

“I spoke with him yesterday (Wednesday) and I told him if we achieve what we achieved last year, it’s also because of him. He was a main player for us.”

Do Chelsea already have their Colwill replacement?

Sky Sports’ Patrick Rowe:

Jorrel Hato’s £35.5m deal could have now arrived at the perfect time. The 19-year-old was primarily signed to provide cover and competition for Marc Cucurella at left-back but could now operate in a more central role to kickstart his Chelsea career.

He’s left-footed, strong in possession, athletic and comfortable in progressing the team forward. He played the vast majority of his football as a full-back last season but has played as a centre-back, previously.

It is not the ideal circumstance for Hato and Chelsea but, most importantly, they have an option to turn to. Despite his age, he has over 100 appearances logged for Ajax and has already featured six times for the Netherlands.