How Dewsbury-Hall became one of Everton's key figures

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has emerged from a difficult season at Chelsea to become a key figure at Everton.

The 27-year-old was a peripheral figure at Stamford Bridge after his £30m move from boyhood club Leicester in the summer of 2024, starting just two Premier League games and only featuring prominently in the Conference League.

It has been a marked contrast since joining the Toffees. He has started 13 of Everton's 14 Premier League matches - missing one game through suspension - scoring three goals and registering two assists.

Only Jack Grealish, who scored the winner against Bournemouth on Tuesday, has more goal involvements with six than Dewsbury-Hall's five for Everton so far this season. Yet it was his performance from a deeper midfield position in place of the suspended Idrissa Gueye that caught the eye against the Cherries.

"Kiernan has been playing ever so well in midfield," David Moyes said post-match. "I thought [in this game] he might have just been the difference at times for us. He had to play a little bit deeper. I'm so pleased with him."

Grealish added: "I thought he was so good when he played in a deeper role. I was so tired towards the end of the game and he had the ball a few times and was driving with it and playing passes.

"That is what you need. Kiernan was brilliant at that."

At Vitality Stadium, Dewsbury-Hall exhibited a gritty and physical side to his game, but it is his progressiveness that has really caught the eye this season.

His 24 completed passes into the penalty area places him fourth in the Premier League, as per FB Ref, while his 60 crosses is the 12th-most in the division.

His expected assisted goals - which records the expected goals from shots following an individual player's passes - is 2.76, which is the fifth-best in the Premier League.

For Everton, only James Garner (75) has made more progressive passes than Dewsbury-Hall's 68, while he leads the way for the club in dead-ball passes leading to a shot (nine) and completed through-balls (seven).

With Moyes lacking a reliable striker, the trio of Grealish, Iliman Ndiaye and Dewsbury-Hall just behind a front man has become vital to the side's success.

While the other two may be more flashy on the ball, Dewsbury-Hall has suggested he may possess the most versatility and well-rounded skillset of the three . There is therefore a strong argument that he is the most important.

*Stats provided by Opta

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