Chelsea injury news: How should Chelsea handle major Levi Colwill blow?

Chelsea were dealt a mammoth injury blow earlier this week when Levi Colwill sustained an ACL injury that could potentially keep him sidelined for the entirety of 2025-26.

While the England international was far from perfect last season, he matured under Enzo Maresca and delivered some colossus performances during the business end of the campaign as Chelsea qualified for the Champions League and won the Club World Cup.

Prior to returning to pre-season, the 22-year-old was the one centre-back viewed as undisputed first choice by his head coach, and his injury during the first day back has left Maresca with plenty to ponder with just over a week before the club's Premier League opener against Crystal Palace.

Here, Sports Mole assesses the scenarios that are available to the Italian, who has already hinted that Chelsea will contemplate re-entering the market for a like-for-like replacement.

Turn to current Chelsea squad

Although the injury to Colwill is a monumental blow to Maresca and Chelsea in general, they still have seven central-defensive options remaining.

Wesley Fofana, Trevoh Chalobah, Tosin Adarabioyo, Benoit Badiashile, Aaron Anselmino, Jorrel Hato and Josh Acheampong all have experience in that role.

That could soon be reduced to six if, as expected, Anselmino is loaned out to a European squad to aid his development. The former Boca Juniors starlet has only made the briefest of debuts at the Club World Cup and featured once in Premier League 2 since his arrival in January.

There are also long-term fitness issues over Fofana, who is returning from hamstring surgery, while 19-year-old new addition Hato is going to be considered as backup to Marc Cucurella at left-back rather than a left-sided centre-back at this stage.

Academy graduate Acheampong has one Premier League start as a centre-back under his belt - impressing in a 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace in January - but he is also just 19 years of age and is generally viewed as a full-back.

All of a sudden, that leaves Maresca down to three senior players, the left-sided backup to Colwill being Badiashile who only accumulated 333 minutes of top-flight football across five appearances in 2024-25 and missed the back end of the Club World Cup with an injury picked up against Benfica in the last 16.

Chalobah and Adarabioyo have each been linked with a transfer away from Stamford Bridge, yet their importance to the squad has only been enhanced in light of the development with Colwill.

Target a former Chelsea player

While reports have indicated that trust could be placed in the current options in the squad, Maresca has already hinted that signing yet another fresh face is a possibility.

What Chelsea can spend will be dictated by whether they sign Xavi Simons and Alejandro Garnacho from RB Leipzig and Manchester United respectively, a consequence of the punishment that UEFA handed out earlier this summer for breaching financial regulations.

The governing body has essentially ruled that Chelsea must make a profit in the summer transfer window in order to register any new signings for the Champions League.

Nevertheless, Chelsea have the dilemma of whether they can afford missing out on signing Crystal Palace star Marc Guehi, a former Blues academy graduate who has developed into a key England international and would tick a box with regards to homegrown status.

Guehi also has less than a year on his contract, has 132 Premier League appearances to his name, can play as a left-sided centre-back and featured alongside Chalobah when the Chelsea man was on loan at Palace for the first part of 2024-25.

If reports are to be believed, Chelsea only recalled Chalobah because Palace continued to play hardball over Guehi, but in this instance, they are chasing a player who is at risk of leaving Selhurst Park as a free agent next summer when they possess a sell-on clause.

Even with Liverpool seemingly viewed as the favourites to eventually sign Guehi, Chelsea putting together a proposal of £35m-£40m with the season-long loan of Acheampong - a player that Palace like - could suit all parties.

Scour the transfer market

If Chelsea had not already loaned Mamadou Sarr back to Strasbourg, they would realistically have been left with no decision to make, but the possibility remains that they could enter the market.

At this point, no specific alternatives have been mentioned, but Chelsea have shown in the past that they are prepared to move quickly if required.

That said, when Guehi is already on the market and ticks so many boxes, it is plausible in this instance that Chelsea will only have one name in mind if they decide to act.

Hold clear-the-air talks with Veiga

The curve-ball in this whole situation could involve Renato Veiga, who Maresca has already banished from his first-team plans ahead of an expected permanent exit.

Veiga only spent six months at Stamford Bridge before deciding that he wanted to become a recognised left-sided centre-back, rather than being viewed as a utility player by Maresca.

Such was their difference of opinion that Veiga joined Juventus on loan, regardless of Maresca having to over-work Cucurella during the second half of last season while picking and choosing moments to use the likes of Reece James, Malo Gusto and Acheampong as alternatives.

All things considered, Maresca appears far more likely to remain stubborn over his stance with Veiga. He was publicly outspoken that anyone playing for Chelsea should be prepared to play in a number of positions, rather than being insistent over their preferred spot.

However, Veiga - like Guehi - ticks most boxes that Chelsea are craving in a Colwill replacement. He proved himself at Juventus, has become a full Portugal international and would bring much-needed height and physicality to the backline in Colwill's absence.

Chelsea currently view Veiga as someone who they can sell for a fee between £30m and £35m, making a massive profit on the £12m that they paid Basel last year.

In terms of balancing the books, it would act as a major piece of business, but there is a stronger argument that reintegrating the 22-year-old back into the fold would bring far greater benefits to Chelsea on the pitch.