Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall will succeed in his Chelsea career, according to Enzo Maresca, who yet maintains that the midfielder needs to get used to not being his primary man.
With 12 goals and 14 assists in Leicester’s Championship run last season, Dewsbury-Hall was Maresca’s standout player.
These displays persuaded the new Chelsea manager to sign Dewsbury-Hall to a £30 million contract, making him one of the team’s biggest acquisitions of his first summer in command.
Having had to wait his turn in the early going, the 26-year-old Blues player has yet to start a Premier League match. However, on Tuesday night when League Two leaders Barrow visit Stamford Bridge for the Carabao Cup, he should get his chance.
“Kiernan has made me very happy,” Maresca remarked. “We have to acknowledge that Kiernan was Leicester’s star player.
Now that he’s here, he’s one of the players rather than the primary one. For him, as well as every other player worldwide, mental adjustment is necessary.
“You transition from being the primary player to one of the players. It takes some time to realise it and make the necessary adjustments throughout that time.
Dewsbury-Hall suffered a small injury when he arrived for preseason, and earlier this month, when he was expected to play, an illness kept him from making his Premier League debut against Bournemouth.
Given that the new player has essentially replaced Conor Gallagher, whose transfer was controversial among Chelsea supporters and who has had an incredible debut at Atletico Madrid, there is extra attention on the newcomer.
It’s not simple to play for five, ten, or fifteen minutes, Maresca admitted. “Neither Kiernan nor the other players have it easy.
It takes some time to adjust to a position like that, when you’re not the primary character like you were in the prior one. All you need to do is adjust a little. Overall though, I have no reservations about Kiernan.