Chelsea have confirmed the signing of Leicester City midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
The Blues are no strangers to doing business with their counterparts at the King Power Stadium having appointed Enzo Maresca as their new head coach at the beginning of June.
Maresca has now returned to Leicester himself to acquire the services of one of his former key men with Dewsbury-Hall making the anticipated switch to Stamford Bridge.
Dewsbury-Hall has penned a contract with the West Londoners until 2029 having allegedly completed a £30m transfer.
Michael Golding, a Chelsea academy graduate, is expected to move in the opposite direction, but that is yet to be confirmed by either club.
Settling in at Cobham with a familiar face! 💙
— Absolute Chelsea (@AbsoluteChelsea) July 2, 2024
📸 @ChelseaFC pic.twitter.com/wjjBQjVuNM
What has Dewsbury-Hall had to say?
Prior to Chelsea's announcement, Dewsbury-Hall had already taken to social media to acknowledge that he was leaving Leicester for Chelsea.
The 25-year-old spoke of his determination to get his boyhood club back in the Premier League after relegation, something that was achieved through winning the Championship title.
However, he ended the message with "it's time for me to go now...", and less than an hour later, the Englishman was confirmed as a Chelsea player.
Speaking to the club's official website, Dewsbury-Hall said: "It is amazing to be sitting here as a Chelsea player. This is a club people grow up watching and hoping to one day play for, so it is a privilege to be here.
"I'm really excited to get going and can't wait to show everybody what I can do."
Our latest summer signing: Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall! 🫡 pic.twitter.com/1OuST65GTv
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) July 2, 2024
Maresca gets his man
In the past, Maresca has spoken of how he was left impressed with Dewsbury-Hall's progression under his guidance, developing into one of the best central-midfielders in the Championship.
Having contributed 12 goals and 14 assists from 44 appearances in 2023-24, there is an argument that he was the standout performer in the division.
Maresca must now decide how to the fit Dewsbury-Hall into his team in the capital, Chelsea already overloaded with players for the position.
As it stands, Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez, Lesley Ugochukwu, Romeo Lavia, Cesare Casadei, Andrey Santos and Carney Chukwuemeka are at Maresca's disposal, but sales and loans are expected in due course.
Darren Plant
