In his second public appearance since taking office, Chelsea sporting director Paul Winstanley seemed to reveal that the team had a genuine transfer interest in Levi Colwill this summer. Together with Lawrence Stewart, the two talked candidly about their experiences at the club thus far.
Winstanley and Stewart’s roles as co-sporting directors have been scrutinised, as they are some of the main points of complaint with the way Chelsea has been managed under the ownership of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital. Mass change in the team and behind-the-scenes during a slump on the pitch does not assist the situation, and the two are mostly responsible for what happens.
Under Boehly-Clearlake’s guidance, Chelsea’s entire sporting organisation has changed from what was inherited. He appointed Winstanley and Stewart at different points during the 2022–2023 season. The sale of academy players is one item that hasn’t changed.
In the last years of Roman Abramovich’s leadership, Chelsea used Cobham’s skill to produce hundreds of millions of dollars. It essentially paid for a significant amount of their subsequent transfer activities, which included players like Tammy Abraham and Fikayo Tomori.
The same has been true with Boehly-Clearlake. As part of a significant team overhaul in 2023, Ian Maatsen and Conor Gallagher were sold earlier this year, while Mason Mount, Lewis Hall, and Callum Hudson-Odoi also left. Before being sent out on loan, Trevoh Chalobah and Armando Broja were both easily available for permanent deals.
However, Winstanley denies that Cobham graduates are being exploited to improve the club’s financial situation. “We had a significant offer for one of our academy products this summer that we chose not to take,” he stated to the Telegraph. “Many misconceptions exist in the world.
This year, we’ve had two debuts. We’re eager to work with the three or four players in the back who we believe we can overcome this year.
“The manager is aware of the players coming through, and he supports that. When possible, we provide them with options to ensure they have that path.
“It involves conditions, contractual statuses, and more than simply PSR. There were contractual issues with the two players you mentioned that we encountered. Our ability to bring through players is crucial.
The once-desirable first-team-ready academy-developed players are now scarce after Gallagher left for Atletico Madrid, in a deal that saw Joao Felix return to the Blues after a late-game breakdown for Samu Omorodion’s intended departure. Hall’s move to Newcastle was also finalised, and Maatsen had already departed to join Aston Villa.
Colwill and Reece James are the only regulars left. However, it becomes even more limited when Winstanley acknowledges that Chelsea made an offer. Over the summer, football.london discovered that a European team had placed a sizable bid for Colwill.
It is not surprising that Colwill is receiving attention given that he is a left-footed centre-back who made more than 100 senior games before turning 22. In addition to being a staple under Enzo Maresca, he captained his boyhood team last season.
Colwill has been a target for several teams throughout the continent since Mauricio Pochettino brought him into the squad after his stellar loan at Brighton. Liverpool is rumoured to have been sniffing about in addition to Brighton, who were attributed with making two approaches totalling more than £30 million in 2023.
Bayern Munich is another team with long-term rumoured interest, and they meet the criteria for a European heavyweight. Chelsea did, however, sign Colwill to a long-term new contract just over a year ago, with the possibility of keeping him until at least 2030.
Despite the interest in Colwill and others at Cobham, Stewart insists that the academy’s purpose is to produce top-level players for Chelsea, not to make money. “No, [they are not considered as cash items]; we are looking at a player who will play in the first team and for Chelsea.
We could have sold more players if it had been that way. We have rejected interest from other players, as Paul mentioned. Since football is a performance-based sport, everyone has an opinion on every decision. And it’s always more emotional when there are homegrown players.
“Players that are our own are the people that fans love the most, and we are grateful that they can sing songs about them. To give the youngsters the best chance to take that step, we continue to invest in the academy and work to ensure that the first team and the academy are in sync.”
Chelsea will now look forward to Colwill’s benefits continuing to grow. However, that only means that the biggest and best teams in the world will probably want to sign him.