Enzo Maresca makes Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall admission ahead of Chelsea vs Everton
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Enzo Maresca was full of praise for Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall ahead of the midfielder's return to Stamford Bridge with Everton on Saturday.
Dewsbury-Hall joined Chelsea back in 2024, reuniting him with his former head coach at Leicester City, Maresca, who moved to Stamford Bridge earlier that summer.
The 27-year-old mostly played a back-up midfielder role at Chelsea during his one-season stint, except for in the Conference League, where he played a big part in helping them win the competition.
He featured in all of Chelsea's 13 Conference League games, 11 of which as a starter.
Dewsbury-Hall left Chelsea to join Everton in the summer and has since established himself as a regular starter under David Moyes.
He has had three goals for Everton so far, all of which in his last four games.
Blues head coach Maresca insisted he is not surprised by Dewsbury-Hall's immediate impact at Everton.
"I didn’t have any doubt about Kiernan," the Italian said about Dewsbury-Hall on Friday.
"I knew the more he played, the better he would be. With us he was good all season, working hard.
"The times he played, he was doing well, but we had more players, so it was a big competition for him."
Having Cole Palmer as the primary competition for the number 10 spot, it is hard to blame Dewsbury-Hall for deciding to leave to play more regularly.
In addition to that, Chelsea also have Enzo Fernandez, who is capable of playing in this position, too.
Also based on his record in the Conference League last season, four goals and three assists in 13 appearances, Dewsbury-Hall's goalscoring form at Everton is hardly a surprise.
Obviously, Chelsea would have to try to stop Dewsbury-Hall's red-hot form if they were to beat Everton on Saturday.
Since Moises Caicedo will be absent due to his suspension, it will likely be up to either Reece James or Andrey Santos to deal with Dewsbury-Hall in midfield at Stamford Bridge.
Gerry Crisandy is a freelance writer who has covered Chelsea for many years. His work has been published on The Chelsea Chronicle and Pride of London. He grew up idolising Michael Ballack and is a firm believer in expected goals.