We need a central defender, probably left footed. Colwill would be good.
Colwill seems to be a very difficult deal to complete.
Who are the alternatives?
It does feel like the season after Lovren left if we don’t. However, it wouldn’t surprise me if we sign someone in January.
Can we survive till January?
Blimey Ifti, get a grip, we just won 10 in a row with this rubbish defence. 
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We have 4 senior centre backs rather than the 3 that caught us on the hop. It rather depends on what our strategy is but I expect we are at least looking for a Matip replacement.
Micky Van De Ven - who’s been heavily linked with Spurs the last couple of days too. He’s probably the one I’d be most keen on if Colwill isn’t attainable.
Goncalo Inacio (sporting Lisbon), Marc Guehi from Palace, Perr Schurrs and Timber have also all been linked. Looks like Timber is moving elsewhere too.
Timber is more right sided, capable of playing RCB and RB. On his way to Arsenal, it seems. Where he can take part in Arsenal continuing with that hybrid formation.
I’m concerned because I don’t remember that!
He should have been a goal keeper!
As a defender I’d have loved to see him up against Firmino, TIMBER! 
Can someone explain the excitement around Colwill? Saw him on another thread described as a ‘generational talent’. He’s played 17 games in PL. Wasn’t a starter for Brighton
He was great against us when they beat us 3-0. I’d say that is about all anyone has seen of him.
I don’t really agree with the generational talent comment but he’s certainly very good. I’ve said the exact same as you though, there appears to be a misconception that Colwill was dominating for Brighton last season (probably because Brighton as a team did so well) but yeah the fact is he was the rotational CB.
Of course that’s perfectly good for a 20 year old loanee, its no knock on him.
There are a lot very promising English CBs coming through at the moment. Harwood-Bellis (Man City), Cresswell (Leeds), Edwards (Peterborough), Branthwaite (Everton), Quansah & Chambers (Liverpool) are a few.
Left footed CBs are a bit rarer though.
Other teams feel we have 2 keepers in goal now
I really wish people would stop using it altogether. It lost all meaning for me when I heard Goldbridge say it about Mason Greenwood.
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Agree. Generational talent is way wide of the mark. People get excited and they say stuff like that.
Colwill is unproven, but as a young player he did well in his Prem games so far, and showed he had the ability, size, strength, speed, to do very well. If we were to sign him he would need coaching to join the unit and learn the art of defending, but the ingredients are all there for him to go on to be a very good player.
And that’s the problem, as you are paying way over the odds.
There was a time when only proven talent cost a lot of money. Understandable.
Then the price of emerging talent cranked up and closed the gap in proven talent.
The likes of Levi Colwill are a bit further back again, in their actual experience, but we would have to pay a pretty price for the potential. I would say he is worth £30M in todays market, but Chelsea will want double that, or more.
Lavia has some similarity in terms of price and experience, although to be fair, he has seen more Prem action and would be a bit more proven, even if there’s loads of further development to come.
The home grown factor is important too. If Colwill is not possible now, maybe he doesn’t sign a new deal and we see what’s what next summer?
In the meantime sign Inacio, who is a good footballer and would strengthen our defence as a couple of them get older.
And because of the cheaper release clause, we might have the dough for Lavia too, who will go on to be home grown soon enough, because of the UK based action he is seeing at a young age.
I tend to carefully with young center back. Gomez was one of best 18 years old defender I ever seen, but look at him now. Its really hard to predict defender potential though.
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Not sure what to make of this. Ambition is good as long as it doesn’t become arrogance.
Don’t see how we can offer him guaranteed playing time unless we change our whole system to something like this:
Ali
Ibou VVD Colwill
Trent Szobo Mac Robbo
Mo Cody Lucho
Ibou VVD Colwill
Trent Szobo Mac Robbo
Mo Cody Lucho
Is that realistic?
Brighton is the best club to go to for him.
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He’ll see plenty of action with Liverpool. Matip/Gomez are unreliable. And any rotation between him/Konate/VVD is the optimum
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