Why Chelsea trumped Brighton for Leicester lynchpin Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall

 

In what has been a subdued start to the transfer window, Chelsea are set to make a big splash in the market. On Sunday, reports started to circulate stating that the Blues had agreed a £30m fee with Leicester for key midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, trumping Brighton in the race to sign the 25-year-old. 

 

With the player keen on a move to Stamford Bridge, and a reunion with Enzo Maresca, a deal that will see Dewsbury-Hall become a Chelsea player should progress quickly. Crucially is that the switch will see both parties link up to aid the former's start to life in west London. 

 

As Leicester claimed the Championship title last season, despite a final furlong wobble, Dewsbury-Hall was instrumental. Indeed, only Abdul Fatawu (7.41) claimed a better WhoScored rating than Dewsbury-Hall (7.37) for Leicester in the 2023/24 campaign. The latter was one of only three players to register double figures for both goals (12) and assists (14) in England's second tier last term, that assist haul ranking third in the division. 

 

With Maresca expected to use his favoured 4-3-3 setup, he'll need a player in a key position to help implement his ideas in his new surroundings. In what is expected to be an energetic, high pressing Chelsea side under the Italian, Dewsbury-Hall could be the ideal addition to operate in that left midfield spot. 

 

 

What's key is that Dewsbury-Hall can play in a couple of roles in the middle of the park. While Maresca does have options in such a key area - Moises Caicedo ended the campaign strongly and Enzo Fernandez will improve after surgery ended his season early - he'll need one familiar with his management style to help translate his ideas. It's likely that Dewsbury-Hall will play on the left of the midfield three as he did for Leicester last season and he'll have the license to push forward to aid the attack both on and off the ball. 

 

Dewsbury-Hall ranked fifth for key passes (109) in the Championship last season, though in being on set-piece duties, this did inflate that number. That said, even from open play and with a defensive shield to provide cover, Dewsbury-Hall pushed up well where needed to help pry apart backlines, noted in that he finished the season fourth for key passes from open play (78) in the division. 

 

By comparison, Cole Palmer (61) topped this metric for Chelsea last season, while Conor Gallagher (40) made more than any other central midfielder. Of course, there were differences in the way the Blues and Leicester played in 2023/24, and the gulf between the Championship and Premier League is substantional, but Dewsbury-Hall was an effective creator from a deeper midfield role, which provided another route to goal. 

 

 

What's more, he's a high-energy performer and he'll bring this intensity to the capital, and having won possession in the attacking third more times (59) than any other player in the Championship last season, his ability to win the ball in a key area of the pitch and force high turnovers is an important reason behind the desire to land Dewsbury-Hall. 

 

The path from the King Power to Stamford Bridge is a well trodden one, and supporters will be hoping Dewsbury-Hall is more N'Golo Kante and less Danny Drinkwater. Given his showings in Leicester's title triumph and the ease with which he succeeded under Maresca, Dewsbury-Hall should prove an important addition to this Chelsea side.

Why Chelsea trumped Brighton for Leicester lynchpin Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall