Chelsea's prodigious academy is one of the greatest in world football at churning out some of the most promising young talents on the planet.
The Blues have forged this legacy by investing in state-of-the-art facilities and the best equipment to ensure that youngsters have all the tools they need to become stars.
This was particularly prevalent in the 1990s as the west London giants watched arguably their greatest-ever defender, John Terry, come through their academy, assert his dominance at the heart of their defence and rack up an incredible 717 appearances across a 19-year association with the club.
Across his glittering career at Stamford Bridge, he became a rarity among the world of defenders at the time through his ability with the ball at his feet, underscored by the fact he's the highest-scoring defender in Premier League history with 41 goals.
These days, being comfortable with the ball is imperative for any modern centre-back and Levi Colwill, who has been dubbed as the "next John Terry", is certainly that in abundance.
How much Chelsea paid for Levi Colwill
Much like Terry, Colwill is a graduate of Chelsea's academy, joining at the age of 9 through their development centre programme.
Initially, his introduction to football came with Sunday league side City Central, where he intriguingly played alongside Jamal Musiala.
If that wasn't an indication of his quality, Colwill's composure from an early age as well as his steady physical presence with growth, more than made up for it.
A physical specimen off the ball and a calming presence on it, the youngster had the requisite tools to become the next star to blossom from the club's underage groups, but he just needed a regular taste of senior football so he could develop in skill and stature.
With this in mind, after three outings in the Papa John's Trophy, Colwill was loaned to Huddersfield Town in the 2021/22 campaign, inspiring the Terriers to the Championship play-off final.
Despite scoring an own goal that saw his side crumble at the final hurdle, the Englishman impressed across 29 appearances while watching his expected transfer value (xTV) shoot up to €7.3m (£6.3m) in July 2022.
Levi Colwill's transfer value at Brighton & Hove Albion
After an excellent campaign under the stewardship of Carlos Corberan in the Championship, plaudits continued to rain down on Colwill during his spell at Brighton & Hove Albion last term.
In an exciting and youthful Seagulls side with an average age of 23.64, the 6 foot 2 titan fit into the progressive style deployed by Roberto De Zerbi like a glove.
A commanding presence at the back and an expert at spraying passes through the thirds, Colwill showcased glimpses of his unerring traits on the South Coast as he featured in 17 matches in the top flight and helped his side record a sensational sixth-place finish.
Not only that, but he also saw his xTV rise even further, from €7.3m in July 2022 to €10.8m (£9.3m) in May this year, with the 20-year-old looking ready to become a first-team regular at Chelsea.
Levi Colwill's value now
As soon as he arrived at Stamford Bridge, Mauricio Pochettino made it known that Colwill was going to play a huge part in his plans, with the Argentine describing him as a "big talent" and a "great character".
In 11 appearances this term, Colwill – who has been dubbed by Antonio Mango as "insane technically" – has shown how good he is with the ball at his feet while operating as a centre back or left back.
This is demonstrated by the fact he's been thrown into the same bracket of ball-playing defenders as Jules Kounde, Alessandro Bastoni and David Alaba by FBref for his exceptional ball-playing attributes and calmness in possession.
Despite being only 20 and the youngest on that list, he ranks within the top 9% across Europe's top five leagues in the past year for passes attempted, top 6% for shot-creating actions and top 16% for progressive carries per 90.
Progressive passes
4.26
Passes attempted
76.48
Shot creating actions
1.36
Progressive carries
1.05
Progressive passes received
0.79
All stats via FBref
Whilst he's near faultless with the ball at his feet and displays an exquisite passing range beyond his years, he does need to improve defensively, as implied by his ranking in the bottom 24% for tackles and bottom 29% for interceptions.
However, considering his value has skyrocketed to a whopping €60m (£52m), as per CIES Football Observatory, Colwill is developing rapidly under Pochettino and has played a major role in their strong defence this term.
Chelsea's season in numbers
Whilst Chelsea's attack has come alive in recent weeks, scoring four in both fixtures against Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City, the Blues have been hard to beat this term.
As the saying goes, you should always build from the back and with the summer additions of Robert Sanchez, Axel Disasi and Moises Caicedo, in particular, Pochettino has successfully solidified the spine of their team and this is reflected by their impressive defensive metrics.
According to Understat, only five teams have conceded more expected goals (xG) than the Blues, with a total of 16.63 placing them just behind the likes of Aston Villa, Newcastle United and Manchester City.
Contrary to the previous statement about Colwill's defensive abilities, the Englishman has made a colossal impact in helping preserve a strong rearguard that has only been breached 16 times, five of which arrived in the last two matches.
Despite being deployed as a left back on five occasions, the Englishman – who the Argentine said could become one of the greatest defenders in England – has still thrived alongside the veteran Thiago Silva.
The Brazilian has helped refine the defensive side of his game, having placed in the top 23% among defenders in the Premier League for tackles this season (1.83), which is a vast improvement from only recording 0.59 per game during his spell at Brighton last term.
If Colwill can continue his upward trajectory, as demonstrated by his exceptional statistics and current transfer value, he has the opportunity to become a generational defender for the Blues, as Terry did.