After spending hundreds of millions of pounds in the last few years since their takeover, Chelsea are finally reaping the rewards. The Blues have been flying so far under new manager Enzo Maresca and are already 2nd in the Premier League with 34 points to their name.
Their form has been very impressive. So far, the Blues have won ten times, lost twice, and drawn on four occasions. Indeed, those draws have not been the worst results, with two coming against Manchester United and Arsenal.
Maresca will be hoping his side can keep their momentum going, as they look to make a real push for the league title. The form of his midfielders will be crucial to any potential title battle.
The form of Chelsea’s midfield
The Blues have spent a fortune getting their midfield right, but this season it seems as though their investment is paying off. Enzo Fernandez, who cost £106.8m, Moises Caicedo who was £115m and Romeo Lavia who cost £58m, have all had a huge role to play this term.
It was a slow start to the season for Fernandez. The 2022 World Cup young player of the tournament struggled to get into the side earlier in the campaign. However, the 23-year-old won his place back in the team in the Premier League. He now has seven goal involvements in the last six top-flight games, including a goal and an assist against Leicester City.
Caicedo is another player thriving in the middle of the park for the Blues. He has been crucial at the base of their midfield, playing all 16 top-flight games so far and has scored one goal and three assists. Earlier this week, former Chelsea player turned TalkSport pundit Jason Cundy claimed he is “the best midfielder in the country right now”, which illustrates how well he is playing.
20-year-old Romeo Lavia also plays an important role in Chelsea’s midfield. He has struggled with injuries at times this term but has managed nine appearances in the top flight. Jamie Redknapp has been full of praise for him this season, explaining that he “has done ever so well” for Maresca’s side.
The impressive form of Fernandez, Caicedo, and Lavia has been a real positive for the Blues, although it has meant new signing Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has not really had an opportunity to showcase his skills.
Dewsbury-Hall’s 2024/25 season
Chelsea did not pay as much for Dewsbury-Hall compared to their three key midfielders. He cost £30m from Leicester City, which is not a lot in the grand scheme of things. However, given the amount he has played, it hasn’t been the best deal.
The 26-year-old has played 15 times across all competitions in his short career at Stamford Bridge so far. He has two goals and an assist to his name, both coming in the Europa Conference League. Worryingly, the midfielder has played just 55 Premier League minutes.
|
Dewsbury-Hall record by competition for Chelsea |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Competition |
Games |
Minutes |
G/A |
|
Premier League |
5 |
55 |
0 |
|
Conference League |
6 |
475 |
3 |
|
Conference League qualifiers |
2 |
180 |
0 |
|
Carabao Cup |
2 |
147 |
0 |
|
Stats from Transfermarkt |
|||
That is certainly a surprise given the success he enjoyed in midfield under Maresca last season. Dewsbury-Hall was a key player for the Foxes as they won the Championship, scoring 12 times and grabbing 14 assists in 44 games.
The new Chelsea boss was full of praise for the midfielder during Leicester’s successful campaign last term. The Italian explained he can be “dangerous” in advanced areas, as his goals and assists numbers showed.
Given how much Maresca rates the midfielder, it is perhaps a surprise he has not had much chance to prove his worth in a Chelsea shirt. They are paying him a lot of money for someone who has played so little this season.
As per Capology, Dewsbury-Hall is on £80k per week, more than Noni Madueke who earns £50k each week, and Lavia who earns a weekly wage of £45k.
That does not seem like value for money when you consider that Madueke has recorded six goals and four assists in 19 appearances so far this season, which shows that the England international has offered far more to the team than Dewsbury-Hall, despite earning less.
It remains to be seen what the future holds for Dewsbury-Hall, but Maresca recently admitted he could leave the club in January. The Chelsea boss must, now, ruthlessly ditch the English flop from the squad when the January transfer window opens, as he has not proven to be a value-for-money addition.
