London is Blue Dispatch #052

It is perhaps a sign of the times that two new signings have been announced and paraded on social media before the new manager himself, who started work on the 1^st of July. Enzo Maresca will, however, be quite delighted to welcome Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, a key figure in his title triumph with Leicester last season. Barcelona’s Marc Guiu, hailed by many as one of his generation’s brightest striker talents, also reinforced a currently threadbare centerforward department. So why have Chelsea signed them? And where do they fit?

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall

Dewsbury-Hall shone for Leicester when they were last in the Premier League, a host of top-flight clubs were expected to be in the race to sign him after the Foxes’ shock relegation. KDH stayed on, and provided a title-winning contribution, scoring 12 and assisting 14 from midfield.

It’s been some journey for a player who used to clean N’golo Kante’s boots as a Leicester City scholar. Fair to say he has touched greatness, and has seen it up close. I was expecting the deal to be north of £45m in an inflated market, but a £30m fee came as quite the pleasant surprise for a player who will almost certainly take a starting berth as LCM in Maresca’s 4-3-3, or as a 10 in the 4-2-3-1.

Chelsea moving swiftly for him is unsurprising. The recruitment team is wary that the transition from Pochettino to Maresca in terms of playing style means that the most profound impact will be felt in attack. A free-flowing unit embracing chaos (and naivety) scored an impressive 77 goals, more than twice the tally they managed in the disastrous 22/23 season. They also know that it is highly unlikely that a) Palmer scores 22 again b) Chelsea are awarded 9 penalties c) attacking FBs like Gusto and Reece MAY not be allowed to bomb forward.

Although Maresca’s tactical intent is shrouded in mystery, it is quite likely that he follows his plan at Leicester, in which case the brunt of scoring and assisting to reach the 75-80 goal mark (an essential) will be placed firmly on the front 3 and the attacking 8. If top 4 is the dream, then three of Mudryk, Madueke, Sterling, Jackkon, Nkunku and Palmer need to be getting close to 20 G/A in the league, while your attacking 8 needs to get 15 or more.

Palmer (33) and Jackson (19) hit their targets. Sterling (12), Mudryk (7) and Madueke (7) didn’t. Nkunku (3) barely featured. Gallagher, a seamless fit into the role, managed 12. It does seem like Chelsea are one player short. The dogged pursuit of Olise, in that context, does make sense. 16 G/A in 14 starts would have been a game-changer. That collapsed deal forced us to turn elsewhere.

At 30m, KDH’s familiarity with Maresca’s style, his numbers and a highly appealing price may have tempted us to move. With Conor still not offered a new deal and with Chukwuemeka untested and hampered by injury, this is a good signing. It could be a face off between Conor, Carney and KDH for the sole LCM spot, which explains why the club has been trying to offload Conor, and why Carney has been linked with a move away.

Marc Guiu

Amongst a new generation of Barcelona kids returning La Masia’s essence to the current first team, Marc Guiu was spoken about of quite highly, along with the dazzling Lamine Yamal. Both, coincidentally, finished joint top scorers in the U17 Euros last year. At 17, he’s already 6’2, possesses good pace and plays in a way that doesn’t align with the ideal prototype of the Barca/Spanish 9.

With Robert Lewandowski injured and new signing Vitor Roque out of favour, Guiu made his Barca bow vs Athletic Bilbao, scored with his second touch to help Barca win. He then headed in an equalizer in the CL which the Catalans went on to lose against Antwerp. For the last three-and-a-half-months of the season, after Lewandowski’s return, he stepped down to the Primera Federación to play for Barcelona Atlètic and jumped from U17 to U19 level for Spain.

Is he ready for the PL? In my humble opinion, no. Guiu possesses some very lovely fundamentals, his movement exudes intelligence, he shoots well with both feet and he has a strong engine coupled with a lot of aggression. He, however, struggled physically in most of his senior games. His link up varies from decent to below average, and he often drifts out of games for long spells. All signs of a young player still learning his trade. A good parallel would be Cesare Casadei, who arrived with incredible potential, went on to win the U20 World Cup’s Golden Ball and Golden Boot, but was benched at Leicester after a hot-and-cold loan.

In an interview with the club website, Chelsea’s SDs stated that they were keen to explore opportunities in the market – a 6m fee for a very promising forward is just that. What Guiu needs is a loan where he earns healthy minutes (1500-2000) in an environment where he will be tested physically and technically outside the box. Preseason with Maresca will be crucial, but it would be surprising to see him impress his way into a competitor’s slot for Nico Jackson. For these reasons, keep an eye out for new or re-ignited links to a center-forward.