Yahoo News Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall transfer: Leicester City's situation, midfielder's stance, impact of sale
Brighton’s move for Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall in January was a bombshell. Out of nowhere, it emerged that Leicester City were in talks with the Seagulls over the potential sale of their star man, and with just a few days remaining in the transfer window.
City fans were not pleased. They felt Dewsbury-Hall’s departure could be the undoing of their promotion bid. Thankfully, then, no deal went through, with the two clubs too far apart in their valuations to even make the transfer viable in the end.
But what those January talks primed supporters for was the possibility that Dewsbury-Hall could leave in the summer. Even while City seek a new manager, the midfielder’s future remains a hot topic. Here’s the latest as things stand.
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What’s the situation?
The boost to finances that comes with promotion usually allows clubs heading up to the Premier League to keep hold of their best players, but City are in a spot of bother of Profit and Sustainability Rules. If they are to stay within the EFL’s spending guidelines, they need sales before the end of June.
Dewsbury-Hall is both their most valuable player and their most profitable. As a graduate of the academy and therefore in the books at next to nothing, his sale would be ‘pure profit’, and would significantly increase the club’s chances of complying with the financial regulations.
But even if City move other players on to solve PSR and Dewsbury-Hall is at the club come July, that doesn’t mean he is definitely staying. All but one summer over the previous eight years, City sold a key player to help fund their transfer business. Dewsbury-Hall could be that man.
Who is interested?
While it was Brighton that City discussed a transfer with in January, they were not the only club keen. Brentford, Fulham, and Arsenal were also listed as interested parties.
Since then, more clubs have come to the fore, and Chelsea have even been linked with the 25-year-old. A reunion with Enzo Maresca feels too convenient to be true, but if Conor Gallagher is sold at Stamford Bridge, Dewsbury-Hall makes sense as a potential replacement.
And more clubs might come forward. Speaking on the final day of City’s season, Maresca had expected Premier League clubs to show an interest once their once campaigns had finished and they had their plans for the summer sorted.
What may weed the clubs out is City’s price tag. They were said to want upwards of £30m back in January, and that’s not a fee that every Premier League side is going to pay, particularly when PSR is biting a few of the mid-sized clubs.
What has he said about his future?
Speaking at the club’s awards do, in which he was named player of the season and players’ player of the season, Dewsbury-Hall could not have been clearer. He said: “I’ve got intention of leaving.”
Growing up in Shepshed and at the club since the age of eight, Dewsbury-Hall has a strong connection to the club. He has spoken about his sense of duty in getting City back to the Premier League after their relegation.
This poses an intriguing problem for City. All of the big-money sales of recent years have involved players who wanted to go. Some, like Wesley Fofana, did their utmost to force it through. It’s perhaps a trickier situation to navigate when the player wants to stay.
How would the deal affect City on the pitch?
In selling Dewsbury-Hall, City would have a lot to replace on the pitch. No player contributed to more goals as City won the Championship, the midfielder scoring 12 goals and providing 14 assists. But beyond that, he also gave the team energy and driving carries with the ball up the pitch. City will really miss him.
But they will especially do so as he could be the only player remaining in the attacking midfield positions. Of the four other players City used in two number eight roles last season, Cesare Casadei went back to Chelsea, Yunus Akgun is not returning from Galatasaray, Dennis Praet has been released, and Wilfred Ndidi may choose to turn down the club and sign a contract elsewhere. If Dewsbury-Hall was to leave on top of that, City would need a few transfers in the same position, or a different style of play.
