"You could tell straight away from day one that everyone respects him for what he does" - Chelsea loanee Levi Colwill makes honest admission about Graham Potter after joining Brighton

Chelsea loanee defender Levi Colwill has praised new Blues manager Graham Potter, claiming that everybody respects the English coach.

Potter succeeded former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel at Stamford Bridge in early September, following an impressive spell at Brighton & Hove Albion.

The former Ostersunds FK coach transformed Brighton into a top-half Premier League side and played eye-catching football on a restricted budget.

He signed Colwill for Brighton from Chelsea on a season-long loan while at the Amex Stadium before heading to west London himself.

The young English defender got a feel for the type of coach Potter is and has lauded his managerial credentials for the Stamford Bridge outfit.

He started by defending Potter's decision to head to the west Londoners who play Champions League football, saying (via Fabrizio Romano):

"It's life, it's football. If a player gets an offer from a team that's also in the Champions League, that's in Europe, they're gonna think about it."

He added:

"Obviously Graham took his opportunity to take it so I can't say anything about that. Just obviously wish him well."

Colwill was then asked if he could see why the Blues were keen on Potter succeeding Tuchel:

"You could tell straight away from day one that he's such a big person to be around and you could see that everyone respects him for what he does on and off the pitch."

He continued:

"You could tell his level as well is the highest it can be, so I can understand why Chelsea have gone for him."

Colwill will return to Stamford Bridge next summer but he's not thinking about reuniting with Potter just yet:

"To be honest I haven't even thought about that (returning to Potter's Chelsea) I can't really think about what's gonna happen in the future. Like I said, I'm focused on Brighton and that's the only think I can be."

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Potter lauded Colwill when he arrived at Brighton from Chelsea

Potter praised Colwill (left)

Potter's signings during his time at Brighton have come in for huge praise and the Seagulls have dealt with the departure of talent with quality replacements.

The new Blues boss obviously felt that Colwill could replace the outgoing Marc Cucurella, who incidentally joined Chelsea in the summer for £58.7 million.

Potter said at the time of Colwill's arrival on loan (via football.london):

"He adds quality, he had a good loan last year at Huddersfield and he adds good competition for places. Obviously we've [Brighton] lost a left-sided defender so he comes in and adds support in that area."

Colwill has been handed just twelve minutes of action thus far but can expect more game time as the season progresses under new Seagulls manager Roberto de Zerbi.