Leicester struck gold on star who was worth even more than Dewsbury-Hall
Leicester City would have known, even upon re-entry to the Premier League, that it would still be hard to keep a hold on Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall after his electric Championship campaign.
The slick midfielder looks to be edging closer to a move to Chelsea, to reunite with former Foxes boss Enzo Maresca at Stamford Bridge no less, as Steve Cooper now aims to pick up his troops from off the floor after such a demoralising loss to the squad.
Dewsbury-Hall’s impact last season
The 25-year-old midfielder has been a bright spark for many a campaign now at the King Power, lighting up the Premier League even during Leicester’s dismal relegation campaign, with two goals and two assists registered from 31 contests.
Yet, making the drop-down to the second tier, it was clear that Dewsbury-Hall’s ceiling was far above playing EFL football on a regular basis.
The homegrown Leicester product would amass a staggering 12 goals and 14 assists from 44 league games, as Maresca relied upon the magic of his number 22 at times to steer the Foxes to the top of the Championship tree, particularly when moments were tense and nervy towards the business end of the gruelling 46-game schedule.
Keeping a firm grip on him, even when dropping a league, must have made those with Leicester connections confident that Dewsbury-Hall would stay put with the club ahead of returning to the top flight, especially after the ecstasy of lifting the Premier League title aloft must have also made the 5 foot 10 gem hungry to succeed at the level again with his boyhood employers.
Yet, money always ends up talking, but Leicester will be somewhat deflated that they couldn’t drive a larger fee out of the Blues, with a glance at the table above showing that Dewsbury-Hall’s exit won’t make a dent in the top-five record departures that have left Leicester in recent memory.
Steve Cooper and Co could have well have had their hands tied when it came to his deal, however, when looking at the financial difficulties Leicester are still facing, with the 25-year-old just wanting to move on and shine at Stamford Bridge under a familiar Maresca.
The newly promoted side have still added significant money to their bank when you consider that Dewsbury-Hall was one off the Academy production line. Yet, the recent champions of the second tier have been here before and bounced back when it comes to a major sale leaving a gaping hole in an important area.
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