Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall speaks exclusively to Opta Analyst about enjoying his football once again at Everton, and his hope of giving fans European football at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall is enjoying his most impactful Premier League season, justifying his decision to leave Chelsea for Everton in the summer.
With eight matches still to play in 2025-26, the English midfielder has already scored double the number of goals (six) than he’d managed in three previous top-flight campaigns with Leicester City and Chelsea combined (three), with his three assists also a season-high tally.
Most importantly, the midfielder found a club to give him opportunities to show his quality.
Working with one of the most experienced Premier League managers has helped. Taking charge of 746 Premier League games, a tally behind only Arsène Wenger (828) and Alex Ferguson (810), David Moyes has worked with his fair share of players in the competition.
Speaking exclusively to Opta Analyst, Dewsbury-Hall revealed he already feels like he’s benefitted from working with Moyes, despite having spent less than a season on Merseyside.
“He has given me a lot of freedom to play on the pitch. I don’t really feel like I’m restricted to one thing. I can drop deep and collect the ball and drive from deep, but I can also be in and around the box, trying to get into the box to score and create chances.
“I just feel like he’s given me that confidence and belief to trust in my abilities. It’s helping my all-round game in terms of attack and defence. I want to be that all-round midfielder, and I think the way that we play contributes to that.”
Dewsbury-Hall’s move to Everton has worked out for both parties. In their first season at the new Hill Dickinson Stadium, there is a sense of revitalisation at the club. No longer are Everton nervously looking downwards at the relegation zone, but they are focused on securing a place in Europe.
Everton have taken 43 points from 30 games this season. That’s the club’s best tally at this stage of a campaign since 2020-21, while it’s just the third time in 12 seasons that they’ve surpassed the ‘magic’ 40-point mark this early in a campaign. Two more wins will see them better their final points total (48) in both 2023-24 and 2024-25.
Dewsbury-Hall has played a key role in their improvement this season. He leads the team for Premier League goal involvements (9), while only two Everton players are above him for chances created (27) and expected assists (4.1) in the competition.
Playing further up the pitch has helped. After spending the majority of his minutes at Chelsea in a deep-lying midfield role last season, Moyes has played Dewsbury-Hall centrally behind the lone striker, a position he’s enjoying.
“I’ve played as a 10 more often this season and I’m enjoying it a lot. I think I can offer a lot in that position. I can create chances and score goals, but I’m a player that likes to be involved in the game as much as possible. That’s when I’m playing my best football – the fact that I can get the ball, get the team ticking, but then also be dangerous in areas where I have to be.”
He added: “You maybe have periods of play when you’re not touching the ball as much, and my skill-set definitely suits being in the middle more.”
Everton have spent longer out of possession than most Premier League sides this season, so having players who work just as hard off the ball is crucial to any success.
Only Wolves, West Ham and Burnley have averaged a lower possession share than Everton (43.7%) in the Premier League this season, and last weekend’s game at Arsenal saw Moyes’ side spend large spells of the game without the ball.
Defeat at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday was harsh on Everton, who’d given Arsenal one of their toughest matches of the season. Before Viktor Gyökeres’ 89th-minute goal, Everton had totalled a higher xG than their opponents (1.12 vs 0.75) and largely restricted the Gunners to shots from range.
To end on the losing side was particularly harsh on Dewsbury-Hall, who worked tirelessly out of possession, running further than any other player on the pitch (11.59km).
It was the 14th occasion this season that the midfielder had covered the most ground in a Premier League game for the Toffees, meaning he’s topped the team rankings for distance run in nearly two thirds of his starts in 2025-26 (64%).
With Arsenal dominating possession (65%), Everton were forced to work hard off the ball, and Dewsbury-Hall was key to pressurising opposition players. He recorded 97 pressures, of which 78 were deemed high pressures (applied within 0-2 metres of the opposition player in possession) – only Iliman Ndiaye and Idrissa Gueye tallied more.
Overall, no Everton player has applied more pressures on opponents in possession than Dewsbury-Hall in the Premier League this season (1,594) and he’s one of only three of their players totalling over 1,000 high pressures (1,010).
Pressuring opponents and winning the ball back high up the pitch is a team trait that Everton have become well known for since Moyes came back as manager in January 2025.
In 2025-26, only Manchester City (8.5) and Brighton (8.4) average more high turnovers – defined as possessions that start in open play and begin 40m or less from the opponent’s goal – per game than Everton (7.7) in the Premier League.
“[Moyes] is a bit more like: let’s get the win, let’s be aggressive, let’s play forward and stuff like that, and maybe not have the ball as much as [Enzo] Maresca did [at Chelsea last season].”
This weekend will see Dewsbury-Hall come up against his former club, where he struggled to find playing time in the Premier League thanks to Chelsea having one of the biggest squads in the English top flight.
He was one of 39 players to make a competitive appearance for Chelsea last season, with the Blues using more players than any other Premier League club. Dewsbury-Hall is now enjoying his football at a club with a tighter-knit squad, making it easier to build familiarity with teammates.
Everton have used just 22 different players in the Premier League this season, fewer than every other team in the competition, while only Nottingham Forest (46) and Crystal Palace (48) have made fewer changes to their starting XI in total across 2025-26.
“It’s good, the fact that we’ve got a smaller squad, so I’m used to playing with similar players. The more you play with them, the more comfortable you get with each other’s traits, so it’s definitely a positive.”
Now 27, moving to Everton has given Dewsbury-Hall the opportunity of much-needed playing time in what could be considered his peak years as a professional.
He played just 8% of possible Premier League minutes for Chelsea last season. That’s increased to 71% this season at Everton, with only a suspension in September and a thigh injury – suffered early on in the game against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in mid-December – keeping him out of the side.
Most of Dewsbury-Hall’s minutes at Chelsea last season came in their successful UEFA Conference League campaign (72.2%, including qualifying rounds), including a substitute appearance in the 4-1 final victory over Real Betis.
That taste of European glory has provided him with something he wants to experience again, and he believes Everton can sneak into the European spots in the final weeks of the campaign.“It would mean an awful lot [qualifying for Europe]. I’ve spoken to a lot of players who have been here for many years, and since the summer when I signed, I’ve seen the fans, the fanbase and the atmosphere. It is a club that’s built for Europe.
“It’s about us now taking that responsibility and saying: the stepping stones are there, it’s about taking it on.”
With the performance of English clubs in Europe this season so strong, it’s near certain that the Premier League will be awarded an extra position into the UEFA Champions League next season, with fifth place enough to secure a spot.
Given Arsenal or Manchester City will win the League Cup and there is a strong chance the FA Cup winner will come from the Premier League’s top seven, it’s likely that a top-eight finish will be enough for European football next season.
The latest simulations by the Opta supercomputer project Everton finishing inside the top eight of the Premier League 32.3% of the time. If they do manage that, it would give Toffees fans a taste of European action for the first time since 2017-18, when they played in the Europa League group stage.
Such is the congestion in the middle of the Premier League table with eight matchdays remaining – just 10 points separate 14th place Crystal Palace and Liverpool in fifth – that a single result can dramatically change the likelihood of European football. A win over Chelsea, which would close the gap to the London club to just two points, would be a great way to start the run-in.
Dewsbury-Hall has already played a key part in Everton’s improvement this season. Now his influence will be needed to give the fans what he believes they deserve: European football in 2026-27.
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Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall Exclusive Interview: Everton Are ‘A Club That’s Built for Europe’ Opta Analyst.
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