£15m-rated Leicester City star sent clear transfer advice as Chelsea, Enzo Maresca plot move | OneFootball

Ben Nelson is attracting Premier League interest after a strong loan season with Oxford United

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Chelsea are reportedly interested in Leicester City defender Ben Nelson as the summer transfer window nears.

That’s according to the Telegraph journalist John Percy, who revealed that Blues boss Enzo Maresca, formerly of Leicester himself, is a “huge admirer”.

Nelson spent the season on loan with Championship side Oxford United, where he impressed despite being hampered by injury.

We asked our Leicester Fan Pundit, Louchlainn, whether he can see this surprise move transpiring.

Chelsea a move too soon for Ben Nelson

Speaking to Football League World, Louchlainn said: “So, it's a little bit of a surprise that Ben Nelson is linked with a move to Chelsea, that they're interested.

“And when I say a bit of a surprise, it's in the sense that he's only ever had one full season now, really, in a first team, playing a lot of minutes and even then it wasn't a full season because he picked up quite a nasty injury about halfway through.

“Obviously, the level. It was a good season for him Oxford, but it's a level below the opposition he’d be facing for Chelsea.

“The bit that isn't surprising, though, is, of course, he is one for the future, and Ben Nelson was quite clearly liked by Enzo Maresca at Leicester last season. He was at the football club, Enzo Maresca put faith in him when we had injuries or suspensions to Vestergaard and Faes.

“Ben Nelson, at one point, actually was favoured over Conor Coady, who was, of course, a veteran in the squad, but he did prefer Nelson.

“He's athletic, he's tall, he seems to be a real leader, at such a young age already, and there's no doubt that in the future, he will go on to be a Premier League player, if not, a national team player for England.

“I just feel like this move might be a little bit too early. You know, you look at the likes of [Danny] Drinkwater and [Kiernan] Dewsbury-Hall, who, Drinkwater more so, struggled when he made that move to a bigger club. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall's done okay at Chelsea, but he's not getting as many minutes as he would have liked.

“I personally think Ben Nelson would be better off sticking around at Leicester for one more season in the Championship. He would play pretty much every game for us next year, and then he can see where his options are.”

Ben Nelson, £15m price tag claim made as Chelsea eye Leicester City deal

Nevertheless, it’s an inescapable truth that often some financial maneuvering is required when suffering relegation, and some players simply want to avoid making the drop.

Whether Nelson falls into either of those categories remains to be seen, but if he does, Louchlainn is clear about how much the Foxes should be looking for.

He continued: “With regards to a potential transfer fee this summer, I think the club would probably look in and around the £15m mark.

“He's not proven enough, I don't think, for us to demand a larger fee than that, like £20m, £25m, £30m; like the likes of Hermansen and Bilal El Khannouss would command.

“But £15m, would I take that right now for Ben Nelson? Probably not, just because I know he's got so much potential and we're yet to see that for Leicester.

“And I think that with a full season under the belt, and a promotion potentially, we could be looking at a lot more money than that.

“So I think if a deal was done, it would be around £15m. I can't see Chelsea paying much more than that, but I don't think the club should accept that.”

Nelson must take lessons from Dewsbury-Hall

Louchlainn is right to bring up Dewsbury-Hall, who followed Maresca to Stamford Bridge last summer in a deal worth £30m.

Nelson has had a great season, but he’s earned nowhere near the plaudits Dewsbury-Hall garnered in 2023/24, which saw him nominated for the EFL’s Championship Player of the Year after being so important for Maresca at Chelsea.

His reputation, both in football in general and with the manager he made the move with, stood for nothing; he managed just two starts in the Premier League and was already being touted for sale in December, according to Football Insider.

Of course, not all deals are the same and every player reacts differently to each situation, but the parallels between Dewsbury-Hall and Nelson are there, and the latter would likely be a much lower-profile move.

At 21, Nelson is now beyond dropping back into academy football and will struggle for first-team minutes, making a loan a strong possibility.

Rather than gamble on the upcoming season regarding where he might end up, Nelson may be best served knuckling down and getting a full Championship season under his belt for Leicester.