“He will be a Great combo with Dewsbury-Hall” – Chelsea hold talks to sign £80m star as Dewsbury-Hall partnership
Chelsea is still active in the summer transfer market, looking to add players to prepare for new boss Enzo Maresca’s debut Premier League season and a Champions League qualification push.
The Leicester City midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who naturally knows Maresca from his time at Leicester last season, was one of the several acquisitions the Blues have already made. They are still searching the market for wise additions to raise the caliber of the team as a whole.
Dewsbury-Hall’s acquisition should provide a sense of security and familiarity at the outset of Maresca’s tenure, as Chelsea will be hoping to start winning quickly under their new manager after they gradually began to show improvement at the end of last campaign.
Chelsea have also made the signing of Tosin Adarabioyo from Fulham already, bringing him in on a free due to the expiration of his contract.
This is another example of a shrewd signing to improve the defensive options at the club, coming off the back of 63 goals conceded in the Premier League last season, the eighth worst record in the league.
Meanwhile, According to journalist Simon Phillips, Chelsea have spoken to Newcastle regarding Anthony Gordon. The Blues were linked with Gordon before he made his move from Everton to Newcastle, and the fee would likely be worth close to double the £40m transfer fee it cost the Magpies according to other reports.
Chelsea are said to have discussed another winger, a striker, and a left-footed defender, either a centre-back or left-back. This aligns with the links that Phillips reported as Chelsea asked for details on both Gordon, but also Alexander Isak.
Both options would add significant firepower to the Chelsea strikeforce next season, totalling 44 goals and assists between the pair in the Premier League last campaign for Newcastle.
Gordon’s rise to the top
Breaking into the Everton squad in the 2019/20 season, Gordon made 11 appearances in the Premier League, getting his first senior goal contribution against Leicester with an assist in their 2-1 victory over the Foxes.
The 2020/21 season saw Gordon make 11 appearances in the Championship whilst on loan at Preston North End, but it was in the 2021/22 season Gordon really secured his spot in the Everton side, under Rafael Benitez, Duncan Ferguson, and perhaps most importantly Frank Lampard.
That campaign saw Gordon make 35 Premier League appearances, scoring four goals, providing two assists and becoming a key figure for Lampard’s Everton side. Going into the 22/23 season, Gordon continued to show his quality and versatility, playing a variety of positions; left wing, right wing and even centre-forward.
Newcastle had seen enough and were impressed with the Englishman, making the big move for the dynamic forward. And now, in his first full season for the Magpies, Gordon has scored 11 goals, and provided ten assists, making that left wing position his own, whilst still having the versatility to play as a centre-forward or right winger when called upon.
It’s hardly a surprise, therefore, that he made the England squad for Euro 2024.
How the Gordon and Dewsbury-Hall combo improves Chelsea
Firstly, let’s compare the output as previously mentioned, from Gordon to Chelsea’s other left-wing options. The Newcastle winger scored ten goals and provided 11 assists in 35 Premier League games.
Mykhaylo Mudryk scored five goals, and provided two assists in his 31 Premier League appearances, although Gordon did play nearly double Mudryk’s minutes in only two appearances more.
Raheem Sterling managed eight goals and four assists in his 31 Premier League appearances, again in fewer minutes than Gordon (Sterling’s 1,992 minutes compared to Gordon’s 2,907 minutes).
This instantly shows Gordon’s superior level of output last term, providing 21 G/A on his own, compared to the combined 19 G/A of Mudryk and Sterling for Chelsea.
But it isn’t just the output where Gordon betters the Chelsea pair, he also produced 4.45 shot-creating actions per 90, which is 1.02 more than Mudryk, and 0.59 more than Sterling.
The area Sterling and Mudryk do excel in above Gordon is their ability to carry and create 1v1 against opposition defenders. Gordon averages 4.14 attempted take-ons per 90, completing 1.68 of those take-ons per 90. Mudryk and Sterling both beat the Toon star in this metric, the Ukrainian attempting 4.63 take-ons, and completing 2.23 of them, whilst the Englishman attempted six take-ons per 90, completing 2.05 of them.
Chelsea’s duo also complete more progressive carries per 90, as Gordon averages 4.3, whilst Mudryk averages 5.26 per 90, and Sterling averages 5.45 per 90. This is where Dewsbury-Hall enters the fray.
The ex-Leicester man excels in his carrying metrics, averaging 3.91 progressive carries per 90, ranking him in the top 2% of midfielders for this metric. He also completes 1.46 successful take-ons per 90, again ranking highly among midfielders for this metric, in the top 8%.
By adding a left-side number eight like Dewsbury-Hall, you begin to share progression responsibility on that left-hand side, especially when you consider Maresca’s style of play, which often sees the wingers as the most advanced players on the pitch, and the number eights as receivers in central and wide areas.
The combination of Gordon and Dewsbury-Hall could be menacing for Chelsea on that left-hand side, allowing Dewsbury-Hall to continue to excel in his number eight role, receiving the ball and taking up progressive carrying duties from deeper areas on that left-hand side.
Whilst the output machine Gordon, operates in forward areas closer to goal, is ready to launch counter-attacks, and makes runs in behind, ready to make things happen in and around the penalty area when the chance appears.
The Newcastle attacker’s sheer speed and ability to run in behind and give defenders a headache, opening spaces for Dewsbury-Hall to drive into and operate within would cause opposition defences a multitude of issues, and this could be something Chelsea are thinking about.
These two could really complement and elevate each other’s games, and Gordon is certainly a player destined to play at the very top of the game, as teammate Bruno Guimaraes has even dubbed him “unbelievable”.