Levi Colwill Nears Chelsea Return for Nottingham Forest
Levi Colwill is in contention to return to Chelsea's squad for Monday afternoon's Premier League match against Nottingham Forest after knee surgery for a serious ACL injury. The defender has been out for most of the 2025/26 campaign, but he has moved close enough to first-team action that Chelsea can now consider him for selection.
Colwill and Nottingham Forest
Forest were the last league opponent that Colwill hurt Chelsea. He scored the winner in a 1-0 victory at the City Ground in late May last year, a goal that helped secure Champions League qualification. That memory now sits alongside a very different reality: Chelsea are trying to bring him back carefully after months out.
Colwill's return would give Enzo Maresca another option in a season that has already been stripped of him for a long stretch. Chelsea have conceded 75 goals since he last played competitively for the club, a number that underlines how much defensive cover has been missing during his absence.
Under-21s minutes for Colwill
Recent weeks have offered the first signs that the comeback is moving forward. Colwill has played twice for Chelsea's Under-21s and captained them on both occasions, a controlled step back toward senior football rather than an immediate full-speed return.
He also came through knee surgery after suffering the ACL injury in Chelsea's first pre-season training session for the 2025/26 campaign. The injury ruled him out for the majority of the season, and Chelsea are still set to treat him with extra care and caution even if he makes the squad on Monday.
Chelsea's cautious return plan
There is no guarantee Colwill will play against Nottingham Forest even if he is named on the bench. Chelsea may use him sparingly this season, which means the immediate job is not to rush him back into a heavy workload but to get him through the first steps of a return that has taken nine months to reach this point.
That caution matches the shape of his comeback. Colwill finished last season with 43 appearances, helped Chelsea win the Conference League final 4-1 against Real Betis in Wroclaw, and played a role in the Club World Cup triumph in the United States before the knee injury interrupted everything.
