Chelsea flop Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall may be handed the perfect opportunity to end his Stamford Bridge misery with three Premier League clubs reportedly willing to rescue him from the west London club.
Signed in a £30million deal from Leicester City in the summer, Dewsbury-Hall has resembled a square peg in the round hole at Chelsea. He simply doesn't fit into the makeup of the squad, despite reuniting with Enzo Maresca in the capital, which leaves him hung out to dry and the midfielder is waiting patiently for a chance to escape.
That opportunity may arrive sooner than later, as Fabrizio Romano's Daily Briefing reports Tottenham, Newcastle and Aston Villa are all interested in acquiring Dewsbury-Hall on loan. It may prove tricky considering the sizeable fee Chelsea shelled out to acquire him, but the Blues may accept as the move simply hasn't worked - and it was never going to.
With Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez, Romeo Lavia and Cesare Casadei all competing as natural central midfielders, it has been difficult to find room for Dewsbury-Hall. Even further forward, there is Cole Palmer, Joao Felix and Christopher Nkunku queuing up for the No 10 role.
Some 18 weeks into his Chelsea career, Dewsbury-Hall is still yet to make his first start for the Blues. Of course, he has been given minutes from the bench, but it often feels like a show of mercy rather than a case of the manager believing he can change the game.
For all of Maresca's positive points - bringing discipline to the squad, making them more potent in front of goal and changing the playing style - his brutal, no-nonsense approach has resulted in some drawbacks too.
Players appear to be little more than commodities with Maresca, which is why he had no trouble in forming a 'bomb squad' of players who were out of favour and excluded from training with the first team.
Dewsbury-Hall is firmly entrenched into the 'B team', the alternate starting XI selected by Maresca to play together in the UEFA Conference League and Carabao Cup.
Some would argue his performances haven't warranted more game time, with one goal and zero assists in eight appearances. But his treatment is only further evidence of the Italian's ruthless methodology.
The 25-year-old spoke in glowing terms about the impact Maresca had on his career, yet he hasn't been afforded the same respect: “I always knew Chelsea were admirers. When Enzo left Leicester, we were on fantastic terms," Dewsbury-Hall said in July.
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"I wished him the best of luck and he did the same to me. I never in my head thought: ‘He's going to take me when he goes to a big club.’ I don't think I can be that arrogant. But when it came about, I was very happy because it meant I could work under him again and continue to evolve. It was perfect for me."
Three months into his big-money move, he's barely in contention for a substitute appearance - let alone a start. On the rare occasions where Dewsbury-Hall has stood out - his performance against Panathinaikos was solid - he wasn't given a chance to impress from the start in the next game.
The good news is that his stock hasn't plummeted, with clubs still believing he can add value to their squads. No one could blame Dewsbury-Hall for sticking it out a little longer, but his career is stagnating at Chelsea.
If the chance comes along to leave in January, he must snatch it with both hands.