Guess which club are causing problems for the Albion in a summer transfer window again? Chelsea have made an 11th hour attempt to highjack a deal taking Leicester City midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to Brighton.
The Seagulls have been chasing Dewsbury-Hall for months. They saw a £20 million bid rejected in January with Leicester valuing their man at £45 million.
Brighton were always likely to return in the summer. The Foxes were always more likely to sell. Leicester are struggling to meet PSR limits for the current accounting period.
Already facing one points deduction, it puts them in danger of a second. Anywhere between six and 15 points are expected to be taken from the Foxes. Not exactly the best start to life back in the Premier League.
As a homegrown academy product, Dewsbury-Hall banks Leicester pure profit from a PSR point-of-view. According to reports, Brighton and Leicester had finally come to an agreement after the Albion offered £25 million plus Jakub Moder in exchange for Dewsbury-Hall.
The deal was advanced enough for Moder to head to the Foxes’ Seagrave training ground for a medical. Likewise, Dewsbury-Hall was on his merry way to the American Express Elite Football Performance Centre at Lancing.
But then Chelsea stuck their beak in. The Blues transfer policy since Todd Boehly took over has been simply Copy Whatever Brighton Are Doing.
And so once Chelsea got wind the Albion were close to signing Dewsbury-Hall, Chelsea decided they wanted to sign Dewsbury-Hall.
Stamford Bridge spokesman Fabrizio Romano confirmed as much on Twitter, writing: “Brighton and Leicester City agreed on swap deal. Medical already booked for both! But then Chelsea inquired about Dewsbury-Hall… no bid, yet.”
Romano later added: “Jakub Moder already completed first part of medical for Leicester City. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, in Brighton with medical also scheduled Leicester City would receive compensation fee in excess of £25m. Chelsea called for KDH and deciding about possible bid to Leicester.”
Dewsbury-Hall scored 12 goals and assisted a further 15 last season for Leicester in all competitions. He was the standout player under Foxes boss Enzo Maresca, who swapped the King Power Stadium for the poisoned chalice which is the Chelsea manager’s job earlier in the summer.
Maresca having worked with Dewsbury-Hall successfully does at least give something rationale as to why the Blues want to secure his services.
But it is still hard to see where Dewsbury-Hall fits into a billion pound squad already packed with midfield options. Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez are a partnership costing in excess of £200 million who were beginning to come good at the end of last season.
Connor Gallagher may yet remain at Stamford Bridge despite being linked with a move away due to Chelsea’s own PSR concerns. Romeo Lavia should be back from injury soon having cost £53 million from Southampton last summer.
Dewsbury-Hall does surely not start as a number 10 ahead of Cole Palmer or Christopher Nkunku either, unless Maresca is completely insane.
There remains the possibility that Chelsea wanting Dewsbury-Hall is nothing to do with football. Maybe Boehly is confused and thinks Dewsbury-Hall is a hotel?
The Blues have already bought leisure facilities this summer as a controversial way of getting profit onto their balance sheet.
Good luck to Dewsbury-Hall getting playing time at Chelsea if they think he is actually a five star resort with golf course and sauna.
Brighton in contrast looks a destination where Dewsbury-Hall is guaranteed first team football. Neither Caicedo nor Alexis Mac Allister was sufficiently replaced last summer, much to the disgruntlement of Roberto De Zerbi.
Fabian Hurzeler now find himself with even fewer midfield options than De Zerbi. Adam Lallana has gone. Pascal Gross might leave. Who knows what will happen with Mahmoud Dahoud.
The scenario of Dewsbury-Hall being set for a Brighton medical only to have his head turned at the last minute to join Chelsea has shades of Alex Pritchard about it.
Pritchard was about to become the Albion’s record signing for £6 million from Spurs in the summer of 2016. But then Norwich City made an offer, Pritchard turned his car around on the M25 and instead headed to Carrow Road.
The midfielder claimed at the time he made the decision due to a traffic jam. In some ways, you had to admire the use of such a bold excuse.
Anyone who has had the misfortune to drive to Norwich (A) knows the single-lane road in and out of Norfolk is 100 times worse than anything the M25 can throw at you.
If Dewsbury-Hall does sign for Chelsea over Brighton and blames traffic on the A27, it will at least ring more true. Queues of up to two hours have built up in recent weeks thanks to the new roundabout installed to access the New Monks Farm estate at Lancing.
There would be a certain sense of irony if Tony Bloom building 600 homes caused the traffic chaos which led to a player opting to join another club over Brighton.
