Chelsea are a big step up for a lot of the club’s signings from the summer transfer window.
Jadon Sancho and Joao Felix had already played for top European sides before joining Chelsea.
However, for the likes of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Pedro Neto, for example, this is their first time playing for one of Europe’s elite.
Of course, Chelsea are not the football powerhouse they once were. But expectations still remain high at the club, while the squad there is filled with talent. Joe Cole is in awe of Chelsea’s current attack.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall needs time to adapt
For one of Chelsea’s summer signings, Sancho, he has been able to make an immediate impact.
In the two games that the winger has played for Chelsea so far, he has registered two assists. Things have been a little bit different for Dewsbury-Hall, though.
His arrival at Stamford Bridge has not improved Chelsea yet, but his manager Enzo Maresca says he needs time to adapt.
“For him and for any player in the world, you need to adapt because you go from being the main player to becoming one of the players,” the Italian was quoted as saying by Chelsea’s official website. “That period requires time to understand that and you adapt, but I am completely happy with Kiernan and what he is doing.
“When you go inside the pitch for five minutes, ten minutes or 15 minutes, it is never easy. It is not easy for Kiernan and not easy for the rest of the players. So you need to understand that situation because it is different from the previous one when you was the main player. So it is just a matter of adapting a little bit but I don’t have any doubts over Kiernan.”
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall could struggle to make impact at Chelsea
Dewsbury-Hall is competing against Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez for a spot in Chelsea’s midfield.
Both players cost the club more than £100m each, while Caicedo has been “fantastic” this season so far. Neither will ever get dropped for Dewsbury-Hall.
It means that the 26-year-old is relying on injuries and opportunities in the cup competitions to get minutes.
Ultimately, then, the £80,000-a-week midfielder (Spotrac) may not be able to make much of an impact in west London.
Chelsea are only five games into their Premier League campaign, but some will already be thinking that the club should have just kept Conor Gallagher and not spent £30m on Dewsbury-Hall, especially after the England international’s start to life at Atletico Madrid.
Gallagher has already scored two goals for Diego Simeone’s side, recently netting in a 1-1 draw with Rayo Vallecano.
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