Key reason why Chelsea believe they have the upper hand in Dean Huijsen deal, Tyrique George’s best position revealed by those who know him best and the national hunt for a new scout: CHELSEA CONFIDENTIAL

Another transfer battle is brewing between Chelsea and Liverpool, with the Stamford Bridge club already leading 2-0 after twice blowing away their Premier League rivals in previous head-to-head chases for Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia.

The highest Liverpool were willing to go in the summer of 2023 was £111million for Caicedo and £46m for Lavia. Chelsea won the pair with packages worth up to £115m and £58m at a time when they did not have any form of European football as a lure.

Now, Bournemouth’s 20-year-old centre back Dean Huijsen, who has a £50m release clause, is at the centre of a new transfer tussle as Chelsea and Liverpool, alongside others in England and Europe, have placed him high on their respective defensive shortlists.

Chelsea are seen as early favourites with the Blues looking to make use of the ‘exceptional’ transfer period introduced by FIFA before the Club World Cup. They will be allowed to sell and sign players between June 1 and 10. That first window will then close briefly before a second one opens between June 16 and September 1.

Club chiefs have been working early on signings due to their extraordinary summer. However, out of respect for Bournemouth, who are currently in the hunt for European football, Chelsea and Co are likely to wait until the season’s end before talks turn much more serious.

Bournemouth signed Huijsen in July 2024 for only £12.8m, rising to £15.3m, and Ali Barat was the agent who facilitated that transfer from Juventus.

Barat was also credited with brokering the deal which took Caicedo to Chelsea rather than Liverpool, alongside fellow intermediary Manuel Sierra.

Over the last year, Barat has worked on several other deals with the Blues, including: Nicolas Jackson’s new contract, Ian Maatsen’s move to Aston Villa, Conor Gallagher’s switch to Atletico Madrid, and Cesare Casadei’s transfer to Torino.

Huijsen is seen as a player with high potential, scouts reporting that he has old-school defensive attributes but is modern in that he can comfortably pass from the back with both feet. There remains room for improvement but he only turned 20 last week, remember.

Axel Disasi, currently on loan at Aston Villa, and Trevoh Chalobah, who was recalled from Crystal Palace in January, are among the defenders who could be allowed to leave this summer.

Chelsea have long-term interest in other centre backs, such as Nottingham Forest’s Murillo, 22, and Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi, 24, but if they win the race for Huijsen, it would be deja vu for Liverpool after losing out on Caicedo and Lavia previously.

By George! How Chelsea are on to a winner with Tyrique, who has played as a left winger and striker since the very beginning

I asked Enzo Maresca at Fulham on Sunday why Christopher Nkunku was not included in Chelsea’s squad. ‘It was a technical decision,’ said Maresca. Dropped, then.

Credit where it is due, because Maresca’s call to select a 19-year-old from the academy in Tyrique George over Nkunku, and then bring him on as a substitute for Nicolas Jackson, was crucial in Chelsea coming from behind to win 2-1 at Craven Cottage. George scored a superb equaliser before Pedro Neto’s stoppage-time screamer sealed victory.

In search of the story behind George, Confidential spoke with Socratis Socratous, also known as Sox. He owns the Pro Academy – previously the Total Football Academy – and worked with the Blues’ newest star from when he was only five years old. They are still in touch today as Sox also works for Chelsea as a regional scout and spoke with George last Thursday at Cobham.

As you can imagine, Sox is immensely proud of his player, and was kind enough to tell us what it was like working with George during those formative years: ‘Whether they can make it as pros, it doesn’t matter. This is what I say to the parents. It’s about the memories, the experiences, fun. Because of his background, and because of the way his mum and dad are, he is very humble. He’s always smiling. I could not praise him enough for the way he is.’

Indeed, Chelsea insiders also cite a lack of ego when discussing George. He is predominantly a right-footed left-sided winger but Maresca has been using him as a striker in the Premier League and Conference League. However, that is not entirely new to the England youth international. He was also combining those two positions back when he was a kid, as Sox also explained.

‘He was playing either on the left wing or as a striker,’ he added. ‘But we do rotate positions. That’s really important for an Under 7 or Under 8 – to play in defence, to play on the wing, even to go in goal to see how difficult it is and have that feeling when you concede a goal. We try to rotate. But Tyrique was always naturally an attacker.’

It is worth remembering it was only four months ago that George was promoted to Chelsea’s first team from the academy on a full-time basis. It is little wonder Maresca is so pleased with his progress, and it feels only a matter of time before he makes his first start in the Premier League.

Blues in hunt for national goalkeeper scout 

Chelsea are searching for a new national goalkeeper scout whose role it would be to inform on the recruitment of 13 to 21-year-olds with the potential to eventually play for the first team.

Among the desires they want from those applying is that they are aware of ‘ALL’ the best goalkeepers in the 13-21 age range. They would need to compile weekly video assignments as directed by Ross Turnbull – the former Middlesbrough, Chelsea and Doncaster stopper who is now the goalkeeping scouting manager – and assist in collating background information on targets across the United Kingdom, including via social media. Watch out Robert Sanchez and Co.

Insight into Chelsea and their continued challenges with low blocks

There is an acknowledgement inside of Chelsea that they need to improve at breaking down low blocks, the frustrating like of which David Moyes’ Everton will bring to Stamford Bridge this Saturday lunchtime in what is a must-win match for their Champions League hopes.

Chelsea’s start to the season was impressive as they capitalised on opponents not being entirely sure on what they should expect from them. As they were something of an unknown after Enzo Maresca’s appointment, opposing sides were willing to give it much more of a go in games. That worked in the Blues’ favour as it benefitted their preferred style of attacking football.

However, as Chelsea’s strengths became so apparent that they were being talked up as Premier League title contenders, more and more opponents defended deeper and deeper. Confidential understands that is being taken into account when assessing how this season has unfolded, as well as the increased man-marking of Cole Palmer, who is now 16 games without a goal.

Opta have a statistic for illustrating the gradual change in styles faced by Chelsea this season, showing the average start distance of open-play sequences from their Premier League rivals.

On December 8, Chelsea faced Tottenham, who averaged 45.5 metres from their own goal. Maresca’s men used that to win 4-3. On December 15, they faced Brentford, who averaged 41.7 metres. Again, Maresca’s side made use of that approach in winning 2-1.

They were very much seen as in the title mix back then. Supporters at Stamford Bridge chanted Maresca’s name, and also: ‘We’ve got our Chelsea back.’ They only had to triumph in their next game to temporarily overtake Liverpool and go top for the first time since December 3, 2021.

Unfortunately for Maresca, that next outing was away to this weekend’s opponents Everton. Managed by Sean Dyche at the time, they dropped to 37.4 metres, and Chelsea were thwarted as they failed to find a way through in a 0-0 draw at Goodison Park.

Next came Fulham (34.7 metres) and Ipswich (36.9 metres) as Chelsea lost 2-1 and 2-0, and with that, any title hopes were abolished as lightbulbs flickered within opposition coaching camps.

Chelsea have struggled for consistency when facing such set-ups ever since. Going back to the very beginning of the season, there were signs that Maresca’s side might struggle when facing opponents who do not mind camping outside of their own area. Chelsea won 6-2 at Wolves (40.5 metres), then drew 0-0 with Crystal Palace (32.5 metres). They won 4-2 over Brighton (51.8 metres), then were held 1-1 by Nottingham Forest (35.4 metres).

Opta’s statistics say their opponents’ average over the last seven games was 36.8 metres from their own goal. Before then, it was 41 metres, so Chelsea have been facing sides sitting a good 4.2 metres deeper throughout a damaging period where their Champions League chances have faded.

Maresca feels Chelsea are improving at dealing with defensive set-ups. They did well in coming from behind to win 2-1 on Sunday at Fulham – the deepest sitters they have faced statistically this season as Marco Silva’s side averaged 31.5 metres from their own goal. It has been a learning process for the Italian, who told reporters last week that he only knows how to play one way – the way he feels is best for winning with style and which he learned from Pep Guardiola and others.

Maresca loved it when Tottenham rocked up at Stamford Bridge earlier this month because, as we all know, Ange Postecoglou is not one for changing his approach. Spurs pressed higher up the pitch, and that allowed the Blues to attack faster and more frequently. Chelsea won 1-0.

Still, not everyone will help Chelsea as much as Tottenham did that day.

Moyes’ Everton certainly will not this Saturday. That away trip to Goodison in December essentially spelled the end for any title talk to do with Chelsea. If the Blues cannot find a way through them this time around at home, they will risk it being curtains for the Champions League, too.

Abramovich set to speak

Biteback Publishing have acquired the rights to Sanctioned: The Inside Story of the Sale of Chelsea FC, written by Nick Purewal, in which an interview with Roman Abramovich will feature.

It will also include chats with figures from the club’s new ownership, who completed their complicated purchase of Chelsea in May 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Olivia Beattie, editorial director at Biteback, acquired the world rights from Humfrey Hunter.

Purewal said: ‘The Chelsea sale flew past so quickly that many crucial events could only be reported in passing. I have spent almost two years painstakingly delving into a host of key incidents, and the result is an impartial account pulling together experiences and attitudes from all sides in a bid to produce the definitive story of three months that changed Chelsea and English football for ever.’ Sanctioned will be published on May 29.

Romeo’s return

Romeo Lavia is expected to receive his first minutes for Chelsea in this Saturday’s showdown with Everton since March 16, most likely from the substitutes’ bench.

The Blues plan on treating Lavia with caution after his body has broken down on him more times than he and they would have liked. He trained fully at Cobham on Wednesday without any issues.

Where Maresca will watch that Everton clash

We broke the news on Sunday night that Enzo Maresca will need to serve a touchline ban for this Saturday’s Everton game, after he received his third yellow card of the season at Fulham.

That was harsh. Maresca did not do a great deal wrong other than celebrate a stoppage-time winner in a must-win match against their neighbouring rivals. Sure, he left his technical area, but then Anthony Taylor could have applied common sense at the time.

Unfortunately, it is unlikely we will see Maresca sitting next to us in the East Stand’s press box, which is situated directly behind the dugout and is as close as he could get to his usual position. Arsene Wenger once joined us writers in our area when he was banned in 2018.

Instead, Maresca is expected to take up a seat in the tier above us. Shame, as he could have helped file updates for the Mail Sport live blog. Maybe next time.