‘I was called Enzo Maresca’s teacher’s pet – now I’m set to leave Chelsea in January’

A player set to leave Chelsea this month once became Enzo Maresca's 'Pet' 'Teacher's Pet'.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall joined the Blues last summer, following Maresca to Stamford Bridge from Leicester City, where they won the Championship title last season. The energetic midfielder quickly stood out among Chelsea's bulging squad.

His tireless work ethic in training saw him jokingly referred to as a 'Teacher's Cap' by teammates. In August, the 26-year-old said of the nickname: “A few guys have been laughing and joking. I don't mind – it's all fun and games.

“It's quite strange [knowing Maresca beforehand] But it almost helped me settle a little bit. It's helped me a lot because I can have more conversations with people and it's made me bond really well with the guys over the last few weeks. “

However, his good attitude and relationship with Maresca has not translated into regular first team football for the £30m signing. He has mainly featured in the Europa Conference League, although he started Monday's 3-1 win over Wolves in the Premier League.

Maresca has recently raised questions about the future of Dewsbury-Hall, who have been linked with loan moves to both Everton and West Ham this month. With Everton looking to send Armando Broja back to West London, Chelsea have offered Dewsbury-Hall or Carney Chukwuemeka to the Toffees as a replacement.

“At this point I don't think there is a final decision [about Broja] That has been taken,” said Everton boss David Moyes.

“But I think what you're suggesting in the conversations we've had is that that's a possibility, but at this point it hasn't been fully confirmed.”

Meanwhile, the athletic report is that West Ham is another club interested in signing Dewsbury-Hall on loan. Two other Chelsea players, Ben Chilwell and Cesare Casadei, have also said they are free to find new clubs during the current transfer window.