Chelsea have beaten Brighton to the signing of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, with his name added to the long list of transfer battles between the two clubs in recent years.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall became available due to Leicester City’s financial issues which determined that they needed to sell a key player this summer.
Brighton were close to finalising a deal for the midfielder, who even passed a medical with the Seagulls before Chelsea swooped in at the last minute as they so often do.
Dewsbury-Hall is now headed to Stamford Bridge in a move that will see him reunite with former Leicester boss Enzo Maresca.
This instance is just one of many where Chelsea and Brighton have gone into a transfer battle. The Chelsea Chronicle decides the winner of each.
Who won the battle in Chelsea vs Brighton transfers?
Marc Cucurella (August, 2022)
Marc Cucurella was named Player of the Season by both Brighton supporters and team-mates at the end of the 2021-22 campaign. He was nothing short of excellent on the left side of the Seagulls’ defence and drew interest from Chelsea and Manchester City as a result. In the end, it was the Blues that got a £62 million deal over the line – which has not worked out thus far. Meanwhile, Brighton identified a superb replacement for the Spaniard in Pervis Estupinan.
Winner: Brighton
Levi Colwill (August, 2022)
Levi Colwill spent the 2022-23 season on loan at the Amex Stadium in a deal that was beneficial to both clubs. Colwill was fantastic under then-manager Roberto De Zerbi, helping the Italian’s side to an impressive Europa League finish. As for Chelsea, it is never a bad thing to see one of your top academy graduates gain Premier League experience.
Winner: Both
Billy Gilmour (September, 2022)
Billy Gilmour broke into Chelsea’s first-team squad under Frank Lampard and looked every bit like he would go on to have a successful career at Stamford Bridge. That was not to be for the Scotsman as he ultimately fell down Thomas Tuchel’s pecking order. The German head coach then sanctioned the £9m sale of Gilmour to Brighton – an absolute bargain for a player who is worth triple that valuation.
Winner: Brighton
Moises Caicedo (August, 2023)
Chelsea failed to complete a deal for Moises Caicedo in January of 2023 and he ended up signing a new long-term contract at the Amex Stadium. Afterwards, Brighton must have thought that the Blues’ interest would go away but that was not the case at all. Having seen off competition from Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool, Caicedo signed for Chelsea for an astronomical fee of £115m.
Winner: Both
Lesley Ugochukwu (August, 2023)
Lesley Ugochukwu was rumoured to be among Brighton’s targets to replace Moises Caicedo, yet he followed the Ecuadorian to the West London side. Of course, the Seagulls are an exceptionally well-run club, especially in terms of recruitment, but moves like these go to show the difficulty in competing against ‘top six’ teams like Chelsea in the transfer market.
Winner: Chelsea
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (July, 2024)
Dewsbury-Hall is the latest player to have snubbed Brighton in favour of Chelsea. Despite undergoing a medical with the Seagulls, the Englishman was quick to reject them in favour of a move to Stamford Bridge. It remains to be seen whether he has made the right choice as there is plenty of midfield competition within Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea squad.
Winner: Chelsea
Staff
Graham Potter (September, 2022)
Graham Potter and his staff – assistant Billy Reid, first-team coaches Bjorn Hamberg and Bruno, goalkeeping coach Ben Roberts and assistant head of recruitment Kyle Macaulay – cost Chelsea £21m to bring to pry away from Brighton. Had it worked out, the enormous fee would not have been a problem, but it turned out to be an incredible waste of money. Potter was relieved of his duties just seven months into his five-year deal, while Brighton’s replacement for him, De Zerbi, was arguably an upgrade.
Winner: Brighton
Paul Winstanley (November, 2022)
It is a compliment to Brighton’s recruitment that Chelsea, and other clubs, have been keen to poach members of their backroom team. Paul Winstanley is one of those who left the Sussex club to become a Sporting Director for the Blues. And, since Winstanley’s arrival, the West London club have signed some of the most promising young talent from around the world, including Cole Palmer, Estevao and Kendry Paez.
Winner: Chelsea
Sam Jewell (May, 2024)
Another member of staff to make the same move is Sam Jewell, who recently became Chelsea’s Director of Global Recruitment. Like Winstanley, Jewell is part of the team that secured the deal for one of Brazil’s top prospects, Estevao, and there will surely be more additions of young talent in the foreseeable future.
Winner: Chelsea
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