Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has played in two very different squad roles in his spell under Enzo Maresca – it now seems that a move to Everton is around the corner.
The midfielder, who broke through under Brendan Rodgers at Leicester, spent time away on loan before growing into a senior role in his final two years with the Foxes.
Having excelled under Maresca in the Championship, Dewsbury-Hall followed the Italian when he made the move to Chelsea, another sign of the trust the manager had in him.
A year later, however, the 26-year-old has made just two Premier League starts for the club, and he is seemingly now ready to move on.
According to Fabrizio Romano, a permanent deal for Dewsbury-Hall has been agreed, with the Toffees paying a £25 million fee as well as £3-4 million more in add-ons.
Few people will know him better as a player than Maresca, and despite leaving him out of the side for an extended period, the Chelsea boss has spoken highly of Everton’s imminent new recruit.
Enzo Maresca “really trusts” Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, despite a lack of game time at Chelsea
Dewsbury-Hall’s lack of game time at Chelsea could easily be read as the player not being up to the level, but given the level of competition at Stamford Bridge, it’s hard to blame him.
Similar to other fringe players at the club, the majority of his minutes have come in the UEFA Conference League. According to Maresca, this is a sign of trust in the midfielder.
The Italian said after a match against Copenhagen in March: “At the beginning, he struggled a little to accept that he was not playing many games.
“Now, probably after a while, he has realised that he has to be calm, he has to understand. He’s much better now.
“He played an important game against Copenhagen from the start. That shows that I really trust Kiernan. Kiernan knows that Cole [Palmer] plays there, Enzo plays there, Christo [Nkunku] plays there. So we have, many players in terms of quality.”
It shows that Dewsbury-Hall has the right character and all the qualities required to make the switch.
It comes at the perfect time for David Moyes, too, following his complaint on the lack of time remaining before the start of the Premier League season.
Dewsbury-Hall could be joining Everton at the perfect time, for both parties
With David Moyes saying that Everton still need “nine or ten” new signings whilst in the USA for pre-season, there is no position which the club has not looked at this summer.
In Dewsbury-Hall, Moyes is getting a player entering his prime age with an already impressive CV. Winning Leicester’s Player of the Year award in his final season, he has also been given a Team of the Season spot in both the Championship and the Conference League.
| Club | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leicester City | 129 | 17 | 20 |
| Luton Town | 40 | 3 | 6 |
| Blackpool | 10 | 4 | 1 |
| Chelsea | 36 | 5 | 4 |
With Orel Mangala no longer at the club and Carlos Alcaraz likely to be moved further forward, the 25-year-old will provide serious quality to that area for Everton as they prepare for their first season at the Hill Dickinson stadium.
For Dewsbury-Hall, Everton could be the perfect platform to make a greater impact at Premier League level than ever before, as he looks to prove to Maresca – the man who made him join, and then leave Chelsea – that he should have been playing all along.