Cameron Smith
Enzo Maresca, Chelsea
© IMAGO
Enzo Maresca may have inadvertently hinted that Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s career at Chelsea could end this summer.
The 26-year-old followed Maresca from Leicester City to Stamford Bridge for €35.4 million last July, but he has failed to become a regular starter in west London and he has been forced to settle for game time in cup competitions.
READ MORE: How Maresca masterstroke could SAVE Reece James' Chelsea career
Dewsbury-Hall has only made eight Premier League appearances so far this season (one start), yet he has been an extremely prominent figure in the Europa Conference League.
The Englishman played the entire 90 minutes during Chelsea" href="https://chelseanews.com/" target="_blank">Chelsea’s 2-1 win over Copenhagen on Thursday evening, but his performance was largely underwhelming and he was heavily criticised by several Blues supporters on social media.
Dewsbury-Hall lost possession on 11 occasions, the most of any Chelsea player, he was dribbled past twice and he failed to complete a single key pass or shot in a disappointing display at Parken Stadium.
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Furthermore, Maresca’s comments after the match suggest that Dewsbury-Hall is unlikely to enjoy a prolonged career at Chelsea.
The ex-Leicester star is already behind Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez and Romeo Lavia in the midfield pecking order, while Andrey Santos is expected to play a key role next season following his return from a loan spell at Strasbourg.
In addition, Maresca has now admitted that Reece James has been added to a long list of competitors for Dewsbury-Hall.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Chelsea
© IMAGO - Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Chelsea
What has Enzo Maresca said about Reece James?
James, 25, featured in central midfield against Copenhagen and he scored his second goal of the campaign with a pinpoint strike from outside the penalty area.
Following the game, Maresca told reporters" href="https://www.footballtransfers.com/en/transfer-news/uk-premier-league/2025/03/enzo-maresca-masterstroke-reece-james-chelsea-career-midfield" target="_blank">Maresca told reporters: “So, you can ask Reece; when I signed with Chelsea, probably the day after, I sent him a video about seeing him as a midfielder.
“I see Reece as a midfielder, not now - since day one. Before I met him for the first time, he was on holiday, and I sent him a clip of him playing in midfield.”
With James now added to the crop of midfield talent already at Chelsea’s disposal, Dewsbury-Hall is likely to become surplus to requirements, and the Blues may therefore opt to cut their losses and offload the Englishman this summer.