Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to Chelsea: The Athletic 500 transfer ratings

Chelsea have signed Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall from Leicester City, for a £30million ($38m) fee, and on a contract that takes him up to 2030.

Our writers — experts in transfers, tactics, data and football finance — have come together to rate this summer’s senior Premier League transfers in five categories, with each aspect of the move given a score out of 100, to reach a total score out of 500. Hence, The Athletic 500. The ratings are explained in more detail here (not all transfers will be rated, as there may be a lack of data to support an analysis).

Below is our rating for this deal.

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Tactical fit — 75/100

A look at how the player fits into his new club tactically, using Sentient Sports’ bespoke tactical-fit model, and explained by our tactical expert.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall was the creative heartbeat of Leicester’s Championship title-winning midfield last season, contributing 12 goals (from an xG of 10.2) and 14 assists. His ball-carrying, body deception and eye for a final pass made him one of the standout players in the second division.

Under Enzo Maresca, his manager at Leicester last season, Chelsea are expected to adopt a 4-3-3 formation with a single pivot, allowing two advanced No 8s to play between the lines and attack the final third. This system is familiar to Dewsbury-Hall, as he played as the left-sided No 8 for the Italian at Leicester. Maresca’s inverted full-back system — which saw Ricardo Pereira come into the midfield line — gave Dewsbury-Hall attacking responsibilities as part of a box midfield. This then puts him in a good position to use his composure in the final third.

The GIF below, from a game against Southampton in April, demonstrates his influence on Leicester’s attack. Dewsbury-Hall positions himself between the lines of the opposition’s block and receives a pass before playing a through ball that beats Kyle Walker-Peters, leading to an Abdul Fatawu goal.

Maresca’s tactical demands of freedom and fluidity for his No 8s unlocked Dewsbury-Hall’s creative potential. His statistics last season support this: 6.73 progressive passes per 90 minutes (84th percentile — ie, only 16 per cent were better), five shot-creating actions per 90 (98th percentile), and 3.91 progressive carries per 90 (also the 98th percentile).

In the sequence below against Plymouth, also in April, Dewsbury-Hall displays how he looks to progress the ball. He receives possession facing away from the attacking third. Pressed by Dan Scarr, he cleverly turns to advance, prompting Adam Forshaw to foul him to prevent an overload.

With Chelsea, the movement and positioning of the advanced midfielders will be important to their chance creation, and Dewsbury-Hall’s ability to navigate tight spaces will help here. However, there is going to be tough competition for midfield spots, with Carney Chukwuemeka and Conor Gallagher playing similar roles. Although Dewsbury-Hall’s left-footedness offers different passing angles compared to his peers.

Despite his strengths, Dewsbury-Hall’s pass completion rate of 77.3 per cent (26th percentile) would need to improve. That lower completion rate could be due to his risk-taking nature, which can result in turnovers. Also, he might have to take on a squad role at Chelsea, rather than having consistent minutes each week.

Dewsbury-Hall is a sensible addition to Chelsea, bringing creativity and familiarity with Maresca’s tactical setup. His playing style aligns well with Chelsea’s system and is expected to integrate smoothly into the team.

Gillian Kasirye

Season rating: 84/100

Rating the player over the course of last season, using statistics from The Athletic’s data team.

Dewsbury-Hall had an outstanding campaign with Leicester, starring under first-year manager Maresca as they won the Championship to make an instant return to the Premier League.

The all-action midfielder started the season as he meant to go on, scoring twice on the opening weekend as Leicester beat Midlands rivals Coventry City 2-1. He finished with 12 goals, including goals in wins against two more local sides, West Bromwich Albion and Birmingham City, and 14 assists.

GO DEEPER

Chelsea and Dewsbury-Hall: First, why? Second, why? Actually, it makes sense

Despite them finishing as champions, Dewsbury-Hall was one of only two Leicester players voted into the 2023-24 Championship’s best XI, and he won both the fans’ and players’ player of the season awards at the club for his consistently excellent performances.

While his output was excellent throughout the campaign, he grew more familiar with Maresca’s system as the season wore on and learned to play the central midfield role to his manager’s desires. This should bode well as the pair now link up again at Stamford Bridge.

Elias Burke

Gaming rating: 66/100

Rating the player according to Football Manager 2024’s data across both current and potential ability.

Dewsbury-Hall is a player Chelsea fans should be excited about, according to Football Manager.

The 25-year-old joins Chelsea as a Premier League-standard midfielder, with a current ability of 139. This is comparable to Manchester United’s Kobbie Mainoo (136), who started for England on Sunday in their round-of-16 win over Slovakia at Euro 2024. On FM24, Dewsbury-Hall is ranked lower than his Chelsea midfield competition in Enzo Fernandez (158), Moises Caicedo (156) and Conor Gallagher (149), but Sports Interactive’s extensive scouting network rates his chances of improving highly.

If Dewsbury-Hall was to reach his potential ability of 165, he’d be Chelsea’s best midfield player (on current rating) and one of the best in the Premier League.

Elias Burke

Financial value rating: 60/100

A four-category summary of the transfer in financial terms — and whether it makes sense for his new club.

Market value — 14/25

Dewsbury-Hall is 25 (he turns 26 in early September), homegrown and has proven Premier League ability from the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons with Leicester, so an expected fee of £30million is roughly to par with his market value. It is also in line with other offers for his services. It is not a bargain either, but for a highly-rated and coveted midfielder coming off a strong Championship campaign, this deal feels — pardon the pun— on the money.

Squad cost — 15/25

Amortisation will bring this deal down to around £5million per season. The Dewsbury-Hall transfer was one of four Chelsea agreed this summer before June 30, so it doesn’t overly impact the 2024-25 budget, but it is their biggest outlay of the window so far and part of a delicate approach to the profit and sustainability rules (PSR). Academy player Michael Golding is thought to be joining Leicester for around £5m, so that will also reduce the cost of this move.

GO DEEPER

How did Premier League sides overcome PSR issues? And can they now spend?

Contract sensibility — 16/25

The Premier League may have changed the rules regarding amortisation — the cost of a player can now only be spread over a maximum of five years — but that won’t stop Chelsea from offering terms beyond that limit. A six-year contract (until 2030) will take Dewsbury-Hall into his early thirties, but is on par with a big investment like this and protects value. It suits all parties.

Resale value — 15/25

Dewsbury-Hall is not as young as some of Chelsea’s recent recruitment, but he’s young enough for another big sale down the road. The only issue is whether he has an N’Golo Kante or Danny Drinkwater-style impact — two other midfielders who made the switch from Leicester to Chelsea in the past decade. If it’s the latter, he will struggle to retain value. He also needs to play to do that, and there is a lot of competition in midfield. Also, if he thrives in west London, there are not a huge number of clubs who could buy him at a price where Chelsea turn a profit.

Peter Rutzler

Risk or reward? 63/100

Is there a history of injury or other problems that could crop up and make this deal a bad one in retrospect? Or does the player come with a clean bill of health? Our expert takes a look.

There is much to like about this signing from Chelsea’s perspective.

While Dewsbury-Hall joins a pretty stacked midfield group at Chelsea, there is potential for more than one of his competitors to depart before the summer window closes at the end of August. Conor Gallagher, who captained their team for much of last season, has been linked with a move, while youngsters Cesare Casadei, Lesley Ugochukwu and Romeo Lavia failed to nail down places in then coach Mauricio Pochettino’s midfield due to either form or injury.

Adding a highly-rated player with top-flight experience will strengthen a midfield core that looks to compete on four fronts next season, with Chelsea qualifying for the UEFA Conference League.

What Chelsea’s sheer number of players in midfield means, however, is that Dewsbury-Hall may not be given the opportunities needed to flourish. It’s clear he has the favour of Maresca, whom he starred for last season at Leicester, but there are questions about whether he can settle into life at Stamford Bridge quickly owing to Chelsea’s lofty expectations.

His impressive injury history (he has only missed one game in his professional career) indicates he will at least be consistently available for selection. Still, there is often a concern that talented players can get lost in the shuffle at Chelsea.

Elias Burke

Overall rating: 348/500

(Top photo: Getty Images; design: Eamonn Dalton)