Chelsea data identifies perfect Levi Colwill replacement after stunning pre-season display
Josh Acheampong put down a marker to replace Levi Colwill at the heart of Chelsea’s defence with a stunning display against Bayer Leverkusen.
In their first game since lifting the Club World Cup title, the Blues beat German side Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 at Stamford Bridge on Friday.
Much of the talk in the build-up to the match focused on the fitness of Colwill, with the centre-back set to miss most of the 2025/26 season after suffering an ACL injury in training on Tuesday.
Colwill clocked over 3,000 minutes in the Premier League last season, leaving a huge gap in Enzo Maresca’s defence.
Josh Acheampong puts in statement performance
Trevoh Chalobah and Renato Veiga have both been heavily linked with Stamford Bridge exits this summer, but now it’s understood that both could be kept around to help cover the absence of Colwill.
However, teenage defender Acheampong made a statement of his own on Friday as Chelsea put the 2023/24 German champions to the sword.
While Brazilians Estevao and Joao Pedro stole the headlines with their goals, Acheampong put in a wonderfully composed performance at the heart of the Blues’ defence.
The 19-year-old completed every single one of his match-high 77 passes during his 76 minutes on the pitch (FotMob) — which included one long pass and one pass into the final third — while he wasn’t dispossessed at all during the entire game.
Nobody managed to dribble past Acheampong, who won all three of his ground duels, while making three tackles — winning two — five recoveries and one interception.
Acheampong did make one error to gift Patrik Schick an opening during the second half, but the Czech defender failed to hit the target, which was a stroke of luck the youngster deserved for his performance.
Enzo Maresca laments Colwill injury
While the likes of Acheampong and Chalobah can provide clear quality to the Chelsea defence, losing Colwill is a hammer blow for Maresca.
The England international was almost ever-present last season as the Blues regained Champions League qualification and picked up Uefa Conference League and Club World Cup titles, and was in the sort of form that could have earned him a place in Thomas Tuchel’s squad at next summer’s World Cup.
| Chelsea stats | Levi Colwill |
| Appearances | 75 |
| Goals | 3 |
| Assists | 3 |
Indeed, Maresca admitted before Friday’s match that this injury ‘completely changes’ Chelsea’s approach to the new season, especially with the big Premier League kick-off now just a week away.
“We have Josh Acheampong and Trev [Chalobah]. They are the central defenders today, with Levi injured, we are trying to find solutions,” he said (Sky Sports, 8 August).
“It changes our preparation completely. Levi has been very important for us. Everything changed for us and we will see.”
Chelsea’s defenders will have another chance to impress Maresca when they host Italian giants AC Milan in their final friendly of the summer on Sunday.