After injury to Levi Colwill, Chelsea coaches now want Blues outcast to be surprise replacement instead of signing new defender: Reports

After star defender Levi Colwill suffered a severe injury, the coaching staff at Chelsea have reportedly turned to out-of-favour youngster Renato Veiga as his replacement. According to reports, the Blues believe they can 'cope without' the Englishman with the huge pool of young defensive talent at their disposal.

A graduate of Chelsea's famed Cobham academy, Colwill was a key player under Enzo Maresca last season. He made 43 appearances across all competitions, helping his side win the UEFA Europa Conference League and the FIFA Club World Cup titles.

On Thursday (August 7), the Blues confirmed on their website that Colwill has successfully undergone surgery to repair his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). The 22-year-old is set to remain sidelined for a major chunk of the 2025-26 campaign.

A host of players have been rumoured with a move to Stamford Bridge as potential replacements for Colwill. Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi, Wolfsburg's Konstantinos Koulierakis and Club Brugge's Joel Ordonez among multiple others have been linked with the London club.

However, the latest reports from TBR Football's chief correspondent Graeme Bailey have elucidated that Chelsea's coaching staff believe they do not need a new signing. They believe that Veiga, who was set to depart the club this summer, could become a like-for-like replacement for Colwill.

Furthermore, Bailey claimed that young Argentine Aaron Anselmino, who joined from Boca Juniors last summer, and new signing Jorrel Hato could also play a big role in Colwill's absence. He said (via TBR Football):

"Chelsea are gutted about Colwill, he is such a popular player and is a key performer for them, and they are fully supporting him. However, they are assessing their options and I am told there are some voices at Cobham who believe that with Veiga, Anselmino and Hato, they could very well cope without him in the short-term."

The Blues' first competitive game of the 2025-26 campaign will be their opening Premier League fixture against Crystal Palace on August 17.

"It's important" - Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca urges his side to maintain their form from the 2024-25 campaign

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca urged his side to pick up where they left off after a highly successful 2024-25 season.

The Blues won the Conference League and the newly-expanded 32-team FIFA Club World Cup, capping off a stellar debut season for Maresca at Stamford Bridge. Speaking to the club website ahead of the 2025-26 season, the Italian tactician claimed that the mood in the training ground is 'much better' than last season.

He said (via chelseafc.com):

"I can see that the mood is different, or much better. When you finish the season the way we finished – getting the top five, winning the Conference League and then the Club World Cup – I think it is going to give the players more energy, a boost... It's important to start again in the way we finished last season, knowing that it was a strange end."

Ahead of the 2025-26 season, Chelsea have reinforced their squad with the addition of eight new players. They have signed a mixture of established stars (Joao Pedro, Jamie Gittens, Liam Delap) and young players (Jorrel Hato, Estevao, Dario Essugo, Mamadou Sarr, Kendry Paez), building a squad for the present and the future.