If a report from Spanish outlet Fichajes is believed to be true, Aston Villa are keeping close tabs on Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s situation at Chelsea. The Englishman seems surplus to requirements in West London and the Blues are already open to offers despite roping him in from Leicester City during the summer window.
The 26-year-old midfield star progressed through the Foxes’ academy ranks before breaking into their Premier League squad following successful loan stints with Blackpool and Luton Town in the League One and Championship respectively. He was one of the brightest sparks while being relegated last year, but his stellar form under Enzo Maresca earned Leicester an immediate top-flight return in April 2024.
However, Maresca’s appointment as Chelsea boss instigated his transfer to Stamford Bridge. Dewsbury-Hall was supposed to play a key role in the centre of the pitch, but the Blues’ spending spree in the Todd Boehly era has seen him settle for a bit-part role this season. He is way down the pecking order behind Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia and Enzo Fernandez, also, the adequate wide attackers, along with Cole Palmer as a ‘number 10’, have refrained the Italian boss from bringing the ex-Leicester ace’s flexibility into service in and around the attacking third.
Meanwhile, Aston Villa are weighing up a winter loan that includes an option-to-buy clause for £18.2m. They would pay £12.4m upfront and the remaining £5.8m in future add-ons. But their valuation is nowhere close to £30m, a fee they paid for Dewsbury-Hall earlier this summer.
Why Aston Villa Should Secure His Services
While the negotiations might continue over the next few weeks, Unai Emery is well-equipped with several central midfielders at Villa Park. Amadou Onana, Youri Tielemans, John McGinn, Ross Barkley, Jacob Ramsey and Boubacar Kamara are challenging each other for the starting spots, but the grind and demands of Premier League and Champions League football could require reinforcements to deal with potential injury concerns. McGinn and Ramsay have mostly been utilized from the wide in a 4-4-1-1 set-up, whereas Barkley and Kamara’s fitness woes have further decimated their midfield options.
Dewsbury-Hall is regarded for his technical traits, box-to-box movements and versatility. He could also slot in as a ‘number 10’ offering an able alternative to Morgan Rogers. A move to Villa should see him secure more gametime compared to only 43 minutes of Premier League football and Emery, too, must sanction the move as his arrival would bolster the Villans in the middle of the park.
