On Friday afternoon, Jack Grealish was named the Premier League Player of the Month for August. It remains early days, but Grealish must be rather pleased with his decision to join Everton on loan this summer.
After just three matches of the campaign, two of which have been starts, Grealish has racked up four assists and added a degree of magic to an Everton side that is steeped in David Moyes' typical industriousness.
Jack-Grealish-assists-stats
Whether the 29-year-old stays on beyond his one-year stay at the Hill Dickinson Stadium remains to be seen, but the Blue fans have already subscribed to the idea, no doubt about it.
Grealish is Everton's hero
Everton suffered defeat in their opening game of the Premier League season, but have since claimed six points from six, and Grealish has provided the playmaking energy to achieve such success.
Don't expect the attacking midfielder to provide prolific results each and every week, but his dribbling and presence and technical skill make him an incredibly exciting asset, with journalist Henry Winter praising him for "showing his talent and threat".
The nature of Grealish's creative role makes clear the fact that he will often take the plaudits. Add to that the embroidements of style and flair that the Three Lions man's game has been defined by over the years of his career, and you have a player whose every movement will be tracked by a legion of riveted eyes.
Grealish
However, Moyes and technical director Angus Kinnear have overseen a series of exciting signings this summer, and in Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Everton might have made an even more impressive signing.
How Dewsbury-Hall is outshining Grealish
Dewsbury-Hall left boyhood club Leicester City for Chelsea in 2024, having played an instrumental role in guiding the Foxes back into the Premier League.
The Athletic's Rob Tanner praised the midfielder for "giving Leicester record-breaking creativity", and indeed, that has been translated to Everton in spite of a disappointing, peripheral campaign at Chelsea.
Kiernan-Dewsbury-Hall
Indeed, according to Stats platform Opta, Dewsbury-Hall has created eight chances in the top flight already this term, more than any other English player - Grealish included - and he's also settled nicely into the more defensive part of Everton's game in Moyes' system, winning 60% of his duels thus far.
A complete midfielder, the Merseysiders might just have pulled off a major coup with this one, whose talents could indeed lead him to stand as a quietly more impressive signing than Grealish, even if a permanent option/potentiality is exercised toward the end of the 2025/26 season.
Dewsbury-Hall and Grealish have been praised already this term for their "incredible interplay" by writer Garrett Post, and the more central star's fluency across the season might be the catalyst for a sustained resurgence on Grealish's part.
After all, Dewsbury-Hall has made a lightning start to life in a new setting, with such impactful ball-playing qualities that feed into a frontline that was lacking impetus at many points last year.
Dewsbury-Hall - 25/26 PL Stats
Stats (* per game)
Matches (starts)
Goals
Assists
Touches*
Pass completion
Key passes*
Dribbles*
Ball recoveries*
Tackles*
Interceptions*
Duels (won)*
Data via Sofascore
Whether Moyes manages to maintain Dewsbury-Hall's level at Everton across the campaign and beyond remains to be seen, but there's no denying he has played at a ridiculous level across his opening few matches in a Toffees shirt.
Given his all-encompassing nature in midfield, Dewsbury-Hall might even prove to be the hallmark of a transformative summer transfer window, eclipsing even the flashy Grealish.