Chelsea must sell Maresca’s ‘dangerous’ flop

After spending hundreds of millions of pounds in the last few years since taking office, Chelsea they are finally reaping the rewards. The Blues have been flying so far under the new manager Enzo Maresca and they already are 2nd in the Premier League with 34 points to his name.

His form has been very impressive. So far, the Blues have won ten times, lost twice and drawn four. In fact, those draws haven’t been the worst results, with two coming against Manchester United and Arsenal.

Maresca hopes his side can maintain their momentum as they look to make a real push for the league title. The form of their midfielders will be crucial to any potential title battle.

The shape of Chelsea’s midfield

The Blues have spent a fortune getting their midfield right, but this season their investment seems to be paying off. Enzo Fernández, who cost £106.8 millionMoises Caicedo who it was 115 million pounds and Romeo Lavia that it cost £58 millionthey have all played an important role in this mandate.

It was a slow start to the season for Fernandez. The 2022 World Cup young player of the tournament struggled to break into the side early in the campaign. However, the 23-year-old earned his place back in the team in the Premier League. He now has seven goal involvements in the last six first-level matchesincluding a goal and an assist against Leicester City.

Caicedo is another player who thrives in the middle of the park for the Blues. He has been crucial at the base of their midfield, playing all 16 top level games so far and has made one goal and three assists. Earlier this week, the former Chelsea player became a TalkSport pundit Jason Cundy stated he is “the best midfielder in the country at the moment”, which illustrates how well he is playing.

Romeo Lavia, 20, also plays an important role in Chelsea’s midfield. He’s had a few injuries this term, but yes made nine appearances in the first line. Jamie Redknapp has been full of praise for him this season, explaining that “he has done very well” with the Maresca team.

The impressive form of Fernandez, Caicedo and Lavia has been a real positive for the Blues, although it has meant that new signing Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall hasn’t really had the chance to showcase his skills.

Dewsbury-Hall Season 2024/25

Chelsea didn’t pay that much for Dewsbury-Hall compared to their three key midfielders. he it cost £30 million from Leicester City, which isn’t much in the grand scheme of things. However, given how much he’s played, it hasn’t been the best deal.

The 26-year-old has played 15 times in every competition of his short career at Stamford Bridge so far. He has two goals and one assist to his name, both coming in the Europa Conference League. Worryingly, the midfielder has played just 55 Premier League minutes.

It’s certainly a surprise given the success he enjoyed in midfield with Maresca last season. Dewsbury-Hall was a key player for the Foxes as they won the Championship, scoring 12 goals and grabbing 14 assists. in 44 games.

The new Chelsea manager 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 goal and assist numbers showed.

Given how Maresca rates the midfielder, it’s perhaps a surprise that he hasn’t had many opportunities 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.

According to capologyDewsbury-Hall pays £80,000 per week, more than You Maduek who earns £50,000 every week, and Lavia who earns a weekly salary of £45,000.

This does not seem like value for money when you consider that Madueke has recorded six goals and four assists in 19 games so far this season, showing that the England international has offered far more to the team than Dewsbury-Hall, despite winning less.

It remains to be seen what the future holds for Dewsbury-Hall, however Maresca recently admitted he could leave the club in January. The Chelsea manager must now mercilessly ditch the English flop from the squad when the January transfer window opens as he has failed to prove a value-for-money addition.