Huddersfield Town and Chelsea quickly saw Carlos Corberan was right with "big potential" claim | OneFootball

Carlos Corberan was always right about Levi Colwill and Huddersfield Town and Chelsea have seen the best of the young defender.

Huddersfield Town may now be languishing in the third tier of English football, but they have had some great times in the 21st century - most notably in the previous 10 years.

In the 2016-17 season, they secured promotion from the Championship to reach the top flight of English football for the first time since 1972, and while their stay in the Premier League lasted just two years, their 2017-18 campaign was undeniably impressive.

The following years saw them languishing around the mid-table region of the second tier, but at the time, manager Carlos Corberan was slowly building something.

Come 2021-22, the Terriers were back on form, and a name familiar to Chelsea fans was starting at the heart of their defence.

His name was, of course, Levi Colwill, and it was no surprise that his head coach at Huddersfield confidently predicted a bright future for the young defender.

Levi Colwill was given backing during Huddersfield Town spell by Carlos Corberan.

Having signed on-loan at the age of 18-years-old, Corberan was quick to back his new signing, stating that "he is a very talented player with big potential."

What followed was a remarkably consistent season from Colwill, who began the campaign with a run of eight full games in nine fixtures. During that time, he kept three clean sheets and netted his first goal for the club with a last-minute winner against play-off rivals Sheffield United.

Despite injuries hampering his time post-September, whenever he was called upon he was superb for Corberan.

Speaking to the press in October of that season, the Spaniard gave glistening remarks about his star loan signing: "I think he’s going to be one of the most important centre-backs for this country in the future. I am seeing a player with a lot of potential and a lot of personality.

"The demands are always greater when you step up a level but I am seeing him develop in a very good way.

"Some of the things I saw from him before he started working with us. I am watching a player with a fast-growing development. Some players need more time for this process to make the transition from academy football to a high level of (senior) football."

Unfortunately, Colwill's fast transition couldn't secure the Terriers Premier League football again, and he had a day to forget in the play-off final against Nottingham Forest.

In what was an extremely tight affair between the two at the Home of Football, a moment of pure luck saw the East Midlands club score the only goal of the game.

Disappointingly for Colwill, it was his touch that saw Forest to the Premier League after he inadvertently sent the ball into the back of the net from James Garner's cross.

However, this shouldn't dissuade from what was a brilliant loan spell for Colwill, who will recognise the impact that Corberan and Huddersfield had on his rise to stardom.

Levi Colwill is hitting the heights for Chelsea that Carlos Corberan expected

Since departing the John Smith's Stadium, Colwill has continued on the strong path that Corberan outlined for him.

A loan spell at Brighton and Hove Albion allowed him to get his first taste of Premier League football, and he is now a firm starter in Chelsea's side.

Last season, under Mauricio Pochettino, Colwill demonstrated his versatility by making 32 appearances, at both left-back and centre-back. This term, he has firmly established himself as a key figure at the heart of the defence, becoming a guaranteed starter under new head coach, Enzo Maresca.

Unsurprisingly, Corberan's international prediction has also come to fruition. First introduced into the squad in September 2023, Colwill has now made four appearances for and is pressing for a regular spot in what is an ageing England defence.

Under former Blues boss Thomas Tuchel, this opportunity may arrive. Chelsea's number six will hope this is the case, and that he can continue to be a solid figure for both club and country.