Chelsea plot to steal ace whod be as influential as Palmer for Maresca
Chelsea plot to steal ace whod be as influential as Palmer for Maresca
There’s no two ways about it; Chelsea’s Cole Palmer certainly won the honour of being the best signing of the 2023/24 season.
The versatile attacker only arrived at Stamford Bridge for £40m from Manchester City, and today, he’s one of the most talented forwards in England.
Over just 29 Premier League starts, the England international scored an insane 22 goals and provided 11 assists, which earned him the Premier League Young Player of the Season award.
Under new boss Enzo Maresca, his progress is only set to continue, but there’s one Blues target who could prove to be just as influential as the number 20 next season.
Chelsea want to bolster the midfield
According to a report from transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea are keen on signing Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
The midfielder had looked to have completed a move to Brighton & Hove Albion in a swap deal for Jakub Moder, with Romano revealing that a medical had already been booked for the duo, having agreed terms on the swap deal recently.
However, Chelsea have seemingly undertaken a last-ditch attempt to steal him away from the Seagulls, having lodged an enquiry of their own - with a further update from Romano revealing that the deal involving Brighton and Moder is now set to collapse.
Dewsbury-Hall could be as influential as Palmer
When Maresca joined Leicester City ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, he was tasked with the difficult job of reviving a squad and returning them to the top flight.
Not only did he achieve both of those goals, but he exceeded all expectations, and one player that he turned into a monster was the "superb" Dewsbury-Hall, as dubbed by journalist Ben Jacobs.
The Foxes’ midfielder became the most important player in the Italian’s system, operating as a left-centre midfielder in a 4-3-3 formation across 44 Championship matches.
However, it was the freedom to attack that really saw the 25-year-old’s game go to the next level, as he scored 12 goals and provided 14 assists.
There’s no doubt about it; that record for a midfielder is simply sensational, and it gives similar vibes to that of Chelsea legend Frank Lampard, who scored 211 goals for the Blues.
It’s expected that at Chelsea, Maresca will utilise the exact same approach that brought him success at Leicester, and therefore, the signature of Dewsbury-Hall is a must.
Just like Palmer, the England international was the catalyst for the majority of the attacking situations at the Foxes, as shown by his creative stats earlier on, and for that reason alone, he could prove to be just as influential as Palmer.
Another reason why he could have a similar impact is that he would operate on the left, and with Palmer playing on the opposite side, Chelsea would have a brilliantly balanced attacking setup, in turn making them far less predictable.
Overall, the signing of Dewsbury-Hall wouldn’t be one to get the Blues faithful out of their seats, but that was also the case when Palmer arrived last summer.
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