Maresca must now give "pointless" Chelsea star the boot

Two years on from splashing the cash on the likes of Enzo Fernandez, Mykhaylo Mudryk and Noni Madueke – among others – in the January transfer window, Chelsea took a far more measured approach this time around, amid what was a relatively muted deadline day for the Blues.

Indeed, much of the late activity centred around outgoings, with the exiled Ben Chilwell seeking out regular game time on loan at Crystal Palace, while further temporary moves were secured for the likes of Carney Chukwuemeka, Joao Felix and Axel Disasi – the latter trio joining Borussia Dortmund, AC Milan and Aston Villa, respectively.

While there may be concern at not moving to replace those wantaway stars, with the west Londoners still competing in the FA Cup, Conference League and Premier League, the 2-1 win over West Ham United on Monday night has certainly helped to lift the mood amid what has been a testing last month or so for Enzo Maresca’s side.

That comeback victory has moved the Blues back into the top four amid the heated race for Champions League football, while further positivity can be found in the solitary piece of business that the club did do on deadline day, following the capture of highly-rated teenager, Mathis Amougou.

Why Chelsea signed Mathis Amougou

Reportedly joining from Saint-Etienne for a fee in the region of £10m, the 19-year-old has helped to bolster a key area for Maresca and co, with Chelsea’s midfield options having been somewhat depleted amid the continued injury woes of an unfortunate Romeo Lavia.

While there were reports that the club were considering recalling Andrey Santos from his stunning loan stint at Strasbourg – where he has scored eight times already in 2024/25 – the Blues instead opted to seek out another star of Ligue 1, with Amougou joining on the cheap as the latest addition from France.

Signings of the likes Disasi and Benoit Badiashile from Ligue 1 may be reason for concern – with Disasi now on the books at Villa amid his Stamford Bridge woes – yet the hope will be that Amougou can buck the trend, having been hailed as a “really exciting midfield talent” by analyst Ben Mattinson.

After enjoying a “stellar” first season in senior top-flight football, according to Mattinson, the midfield machine will be seeking to continue that momentum at the Bridge, tussling for a backup role behind the starting pair of Fernandez and Moises Caicedo.

While Maresca isn’t exactly blessed with depth in that department, the signing of Amougou could prove the final straw for one forgotten talent, with that late deal having perhaps shifted a certain Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall even further down the pecking order.

How Amougou’s signing could impact the Chelsea squad

The events of deadline day have perhaps shone a light on Chelsea’s summer dealings, with the decision to bring former loanee Felix back to the club still a head-scratching one. Signed on a £46.3m deal from Atletico Madrid, the Portuguese wizard has already sought out pastures news, albeit temporarily, after just six months back in England.

Perhaps the same can be said of the Blues’ move to reunite Maresca with the star of his title-winning Leicester City side in the Championship, with Dewsbury-Hall arriving on a £30m deal, after contributing 27 goals and assists under the Italian last season.

With the new boss having looked to instil new methods at the Bridge, the belief was that recruiting a familiar face would be perfect for the task. Indeed, pundit Adrian Clarke even suggested that the Englishman could ‘lead [the] Maresca revolution at Chelsea’.

Fast forward just over half a season, however, and the former Foxes star is now largely a bystander to proceedings, having started just one Premier League game in 2024/25 to date.

While he did register an assist on that solitary start against Wolverhampton Wanderers, the 25-year-old looks destined for life in the ‘B’ team, with much of his action having come in the Conference League, where he scored twice in six group games.

Amougou vs Dewsbury-Hall – League stats (24/25)
Stat	Amougou (Ligue 1)	Dewsbury-Hall (PL)
Games	17	6
Goals	0	0
Assists	0	1
Big chances created	0	1
Key passes*	0.4	0.3
Pass accuracy*	78%	88%
Tackles*	1.2	0.3
Interceptions*	0.7	0.2
Total duels won*	46%	36%
Possession lost*	6.4	3.0
Stats via Sofascore (*per game)

As writer Zach Lowy has poetically put it, Dewsbury-Hall is a “strong contender for one of the most pointless signings of 2024”, with it having been no surprise that speculation was rife over an early exit during the winter window.

No such move occurred in the end, yet with Amougou in the door, Dewsbury-Hall’s days look numbered. There is certainly a player in there, as he showcased in 2023/24 at the King Power, but quite whether he’ll ever get to showcase those talents at Chelsea remains to be seen.