6 September 2026
Levi Colwill watched Sunday’s derby loss from the substitutes’ bench.
Xabi Alonso has raised fresh concerns over Levi Colwill’s fitness after leaving the defender out of Chelsea’s starting line-up for Sunday’s match against Arsenal.
Chelsea went ahead early at the Emirates, but eventually fell to a 2-1 defeat after goals either side of half-time from Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard.
Alonso’s starting XI at the Emirates prompted some surprise, with Colwill dropping out of the back three and 20-year-old academy graduate Josh Acheampong coming in as his replacement.
Speaking before kick-off, Alonso confirmed the decision was not purely tactical, saying Colwill was not fully fit after suffering a minor issue in training.
When asked by Sky Sports whether the change was based on form, Alonso replied: “Fitness. Levi had a little thing during the week, so we wanted not to take a risk at this stage of the season.”
Levi Colwill played 71 minutes against Brighton last weekend.
The exact nature of the issue remains unclear, although it is not believed to be serious as Colwill was still named on the bench. He was seen warming up at half-time, but was not brought on.
It is still uncertain whether he will be fit enough to feature against Leeds when they travel to Stamford Bridge for Carabao Cup action in midweek.
The update comes with Chelsea already without Moises Caicedo, Marco Palestra and Jordan Henderson because of injury.
Caicedo has yet to start a competitive game for Chelsea this season, though he did come off the bench against Brighton last weekend. However, he lasted only 14 minutes before being forced off again, with Alonso later admitting he had been brought back too soon.
