Foxes struck gold on their £20m ‘revelation’

Leicester City’s quest this season is simple – bounce back into the Premier League at the first time of asking – and so far, it is going remarkably well.

While they tasted their first defeat of the season against Hull City prior to the international break, this seemed to awake the Foxes from their slumber, thrashing Southampton 4-1 on Friday night.

In that crucial victory at St Mary’s, a couple of their new signings sparkled as Harry Winks orchestrated proceedings in the middle of the park and winger Stephy Mavididi, who joined from Montpellier this summer, put in a sensational performance with a goal and an assist.

Following relegation from the top flight, Leicester were forced into selling star men James Maddison, Harvey Barnes, Timothy Castagne and Youri Tielemans, to name a few, but having done their best to plug those gaps with a mix of youth and experience, Enzo Maresca is creating the perfect recipe for success and academy graduate, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, is at the epicentre of that.

How much is Dewsbury-Hall worth?

According to Football Transfers, Dewsbury-Hall is valued at around £20m at present, though if he continues to be the fulcrum in the Foxes midfield, that value could skyrocket in the coming months and years.

The 25-year-old has made outstanding progress since starring at Luton Town in the 2020/21 Championship campaign, earning plaudits for his infectious and industrious performances, with then-manager Nathan Jones labelling him as “absolutely class”.

In his first full term of senior football, Dewsbury-Hall chalked up three goals and six assists, ranking in the top 4% for progressive passes, top 5% for key passes, top 8% for progressive carries and top 13% for ball recoveries when compared against his fellow Championship midfielders across this season, as per FBref.

Such all-action performances from the 5 foot 10 midfielder earned him the opportunity to become a regular starter in Leicester’s midfield, and he grasped it with both hands, making 28 appearances in the 2021/22 season, impressing his manager at the time, Brendan Rodgers, after scoring his first Premier League goal in a victory over Crystal Palace.

He said: “He is a wonderful demonstration of someone who works very hard and he has proved that if you work hard the opportunities come your way.”

The midfield “revelation”, as also lauded by Rodgers, continued to see his stock rise dramatically, becoming one of Leicester’s top performers in a season which saw them get relegated, featuring on 31 occasions in the top flight.

Although suffering relegation was a bitter pill to swallow for the Englishman, he knew that under Maresca and with Maddison departing, he would become the star man in their midfield.

How has Dewsbury-Hall performed this season?

Relishing his opportunity to advance higher up the field and have a bigger impact in the final third, Dewsbury-Hall scored a brace on Leicester’s first game back in the Championship, a 2-1 victory over Coventry.

Those two wonderful strikes helped drag the Foxes to an important three points and Maresca was delighted with his quality, urging him to get into the opponent’s box and score more goals.

Maresca said: “At the beginning when I came in, I checked the numbers of the players and I told him he has better quality to be able to score more and make more assists.

“The only way to do it is to arrive more often in the box. Kiernan scored here because he was there in the area.”

With Dewsbury-Hall already grabbing the same number of goals and assists as he managed in the whole of last season, Maresca’s advice has certainly worked, showcasing that he’s a class above the rest of the division.

Previously described by former Leicester striker Emile Heskey as being the “full package”, he’s certainly emphasised that point this season, ranking among midfielders in the division within the top 2% for progressive carries, fouls drawn, non-penalty goals, shot-creating actions and touches in the attacking penalty box while placing within the top 6% for progressive passes recorded and assists per 90, via FBref.

Leicester hit the jackpot with a player brought through the youth ranks, not costing the club a penny. And while his current market value of £20m is not the largest on the scale, he’s demonstrated both maturity and quality in his match-winning performances, which will no doubt see that figure rise very soon.