Levi Colwill can be 'one of the greatest centre-backs in England', says Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino

Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has said that Levi Colwill can be one of the "greatest centre-backs in England” after a pre-season win over Brighton.

Pochettino’s side beat Roberto De Zerbi’s Seagulls 4-3 as they continue preparations for next season and the new Chelsea boss was full of praise for his young defender after the game.

Colwill spent last season on loan with Brighton, where he was a standout performer on the south coast.

Colwill starred in the England under-21 side that lifted this year’s European Championship trophy and has been linked with permanent moves to Brighton and Liverpool.

For now at least, the 20-year-old looks likely to start the season at Stamford Bridge after Pochettino described him as “our player.”

He continued: "His performance was good today, better than what I expected because it is only the first game with us after the season with Brighton.

"I am so happy, he can be one of the greatest centre-backs in England."

New signing Nicolas Jackson scored once and also provided two assists, and while the Argentine manager was happy with the progress from the former Villarreal man, he predicted he would need “time to adapt.”

"This type of game is important to him to feel what it means to play in the Premier League," Pochettino said.

"I think when Chelsea sign a player like him it's because they detect something important in quality and talent.

"He is a big talent, he needs time to adapt to the new club, the Premier League.

"He is young also, we need to help him to develop and evolve and be an important player for Chelsea."

There was a goal for another recent addition, Christopher Nkunku, who was brought in from RB Leipzig, as well as Conor Gallagher and Mykhailo Mudryk.

Discussing the chances of Nkunku and Jackson starting up front together, he answered: "For sure, we will arrive in the next few games at the possibility to play them together.

"It is that the circumstance of the physical condition means we need to use both to share the minutes."

Turning to Mudryk’s goal, he hoped that the struggling Ukrainian would receive a boost from the goal.

"Attacking players need to score and need to get their confidence and trust in themselves," Pochettino said.

"Always it is important to score goals. I think today with a little bit more capacity to stay calm, maybe we can create more chances and score more.

"We need to believe and trust in the process to arrive to the first Premier League game in the best condition."

- - -

TNT Sports presents the premium live sports rights previously carried by BT Sport including the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, Gallagher Premiership Rugby, Heineken Champions Cup, EPCR Challenge Cup, MotoGP, Cricket, UFC, Boxing and WWE. The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination. You can also watch TNT Sports through BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media