Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall is becoming a driving force behind David Moyes’ new look Everton
Everton are in the hunt for European qualification and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall is pushing the Toffees forward more than any other player.
By beating Nottingham Forest 3-0 last Saturday, Everton made their biggest statement of the season so far. It was the Toffees’ largest margin of victory in the Premier League this term, a sign of how far the Merseyside outfit have come under David Moyes and proof of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s growing influence.
Dewsbury-Hall was the best player on the pitch against Forest. The 27-year-old forced the opener for Everton via an own goal by Nikola Milenković, scored one himself to put the finishing touches on the win and also struck the post with a thunderous strike from the edge of the box.
In a match that saw Everton better their opponents by almost every attacking metric by the end of the 90 minutes, Dewsbury-Hall was the Toffees’ driving force in the final third, and that has been the case in a number of matches this season. He is quickly becoming Everton’s most important player.
Nobody has scored more league goals for Everton this season than Dewsbury-Hall who took his tally for the 2025/26 campaign to four by scoring against Forest. The former Leicester City playmaker has also contributed two assists, putting him level with Jack Grealish and Iliman Ndiaye for goal contributions.
That Dewsbury-Hall has found the back of the net so often is even more impressive when factoring in his role as a creator. He is an all-round threat, as demonstrated by the fact Dewsbury-Hall has generated five Big Chances this season, more than any other Everton player.
Moyes has deployed Dewsbury-Hall in a deeper role as part of Everton’s midfield double pivot to make the most of the 27-year-old’s natural ability on the ball. This hasn’t just resulted in Dewsbury-Hall becoming a creator-in-chief, but the transformation of the Toffees under their Scottish manager who is approaching a year in charge.
“He’s made such a difference to the team,” said Moyes about Dewsbury-Hall’s impact. “He’s made us more creative and, sort of, cultured in the way we play. He might be going under the radar a wee bit – he’s playing so well. He does the work; he covers big distances for us. He’s an intelligent boy, as well. He wants the team to do well, and he’s certainly helped us play better.”
Heading into the 2025/26 season, there was most excitement at Everton around the loan signing of Grealish from Manchester City. He was the Toffees’ marquee addition and Grealish made such a fast start that many had started predicting he might make Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for the 2026 World Cup.
Instead, Dewsbury-Hall has been the summer addition who has transformed Everton most of all. Since Sean Dyche’s departure at the start of 2025, the Toffees have become a more proactive, forward-thinking side and Dewsbury-Hall has facilitated this. So much of their play flows through the attacking midfielder.
15 games into the campaign, Everton are sitting seventh in the Premier League table, firmly within striking distance of the continental qualification spots. While the Europa League and Conference League might be a more realistic aim, Moyes’ team are only one point off the top five and the Champions League places as things stand.
Moyes hasn’t thrown out everything Dyche did during his time as Everton manager. However, the Scot has turned the dial towards a more adventurous, attacking approach even if the Toffees have only scored 18 goals from 15 fixtures in the Premier League this season.
With a more reliable finisher leading the line in the number nine position, Everton’s goalscoring numbers might make for better reading. The Toffees are underperforming their attacking statistics and the finger could be pointed at Beto and Thiero Barry, neither of whom have truly made the position their own this season.
No blame can be directed towards Dewsbury-Hall. Behind Carlos Alcaraz, Grealish and Ndiaye, the 27-year-old is the perfect supply line into the attacking third for an Everton team still at the start of a process to become a more modern outfit capable of imposing their own game on opponents.
In more than one way, this season has marked the start of a new era for the Toffees. The club moved into their gleaming new stadium on the banks of the Mersey only a few months after Dan Friedkin took over in a change of ownership. The transition that has taken part on the pitch is one part of the story.
The other part of the story heavily involves Dewsbury-Hall, the embodiment of Everton’s changing identity and renewed ambition. Moyes has unlocked the potential of a player who was never given the opportunity to show his quality at Chelsea and it could lead to European qualification.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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