William Gallas admits he has been left concerned by the form of Levi Colwill who has the potential to be a ‘monster’.
Chelsea have invested heavily in strengthening their defence over the last 18 months but have largely recruited inexperienced centre halves.
Tosin Adarabioyo arrived on a free from Fulham in the summer, but reports claim the 27-year-old is already the subject of significant interest from Brighton.
The departure of veteran Thiago Silva at the end of last season has left Chelsea without a senior presence at the heart of their backline, leaving Colwill to marshal Enzo Maresca’s rearguard.
Chelsea have again been linked with a host of new attacking players during the transfer widow, but Gallas believes one of his old clubs would be best served by adding a seasoned defender to their ranks to help Colwill’s development.
‘Levi Cowell, he’s 21 years old,’ Gallas told Prime Casino. ‘But it’s a shame that the boy could not play maybe one or two more years with Thiago Silva.
‘If he was playing with Thiago Silva for two more years, he would develop into a monster. Right now, because nobody is around, he has to be the boss of the defence, but he’s still too young.
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‘He can’t manage his defence line because at the moment he’s thinking about his performance first.
‘When you play for big club like Chelsea, and you’re the leader of the defence, you have to manage the entire line.
‘I’ve seen only one player do this from a young age, John Terry, but it was natural for John.
‘If you look at Liverpool, they have the best defence in the Premier League this season.
‘Van Dijk has nurtured Konate. He has given Konaté the opportunity to Konate go to another level and Liverpool have been rewarded with a monster.
‘That partnership, they are very strong, because van Dijk, even if he’s a captain, he is still the boss of the defence line. Konaté, when you look, he doesn’t speak really to the defence.
‘He just follows what van Dijk is doing. That’s how Konaté has gone to another level and, when van Dijk leaves the club, it will be the turn of Konaté to be the boss of the defence and to next to teach the next player that comes along.
‘That’s how it works. With Levi Colwill, he’s 21. He has already played many games for Chelsea. He plays a lot.
‘At the moment, I don’t I don’t see any improvement in his game, so that’s why it’s not easy for him.
‘If he had someone to learn from, a top class player like van Dijk or Thiago, he would be well on his way to becoming one of the best central defenders in England.’