Everton finally had a strong summer transfer window with no major sales – for the first time in what felt like years under David Moyes last time around.
Everton have seen various first-team stars depart the club in recent years. Amadou Onana’s exit to Aston Villa last season meant the Belgian was always going to be tough to replace, whilst the likes of Alex Iwobi, Richarlison, Anthony Gordon and Lucas Digne have been sold over the past four years.
However, this summer saw a raft of first-team signings, notably with Jack Grealish coming to the Hill Dickinson Stadium as David Moyes’ ‘marquee’ signing.
But it’s fellow summer addition Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall who has recently stolen the show – and Toffees icon Alan Stubbs has hailed him as ‘immense’ for his contributions on and off the pitch in the Premier League.
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Everton hero Alan Stubbs hails ‘immense’ Dewsbury-Hall, he ticks a lot of boxes
Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, Stubbs – who played for Everton in 169 Premier League appearances over two spells, hailed Dewsbury-Hall for his work at the club in all areas.
And the new Hill Dickinson star’s performances have only brought the best out of him after some exemplary work to get Everton to where they are at present.
Stubbs said: “I think the best way I could describe Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s performances of late is immense.
“If there’s one player that has come to the club and had an impact, not just on the pitch but off the pitch in the way he speaks, it’s him.
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“Kiernan is what every fan wants to see and hear how an Everton player should be. He speaks brilliantly well, I think he’s really bought into Everton and the plans that the club have in terms of going forward.
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Everton midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
Photo by Richard Martin-Roberts – CameraSport via Getty Images
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“His performances have been fantastic. Obviously, you can see that he’s a very talented player, but I think he’s a player that thrives on responsibility as well, which is great.
“His vision, his football intelligence, his work rate to win the ball back. He just ticks a lot of boxes.
“I think he’s one of those players that every dressing room needs. When things are going well, you can see that his confidence is sky high, but when things aren’t going well, I think he’s one of those players who would put his arm around his team-mates and say to them: ‘Come on, we need more’.
“I think he’s that type of person, that type of individual, and if you’re David Moyes, the manager, he’s exactly the type of player that you want because he’s vitally important both on the pitch and off it in terms of the dressing room.”
He’s the kind of character that you’d find in David Moyes’ successful teams in the late 2000s, and with more additions with a likewise manner, Everton could find themselves as top-half contenders for years to come.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall is already a contender for Everton’s best midfield signing of the last decade
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall may well end up being Everton’s most influential midfield signing since Idrissa Gueye, all the way back under Ronald Koeman in 2017.
Morgan Schneiderlin was signed from Manchester United in the same summer but to little effect, whilst a number of poor Farhad Moshiri buys came and went in the form of Davy Klaassen, Nikola Vlasic and Andre Gomes – the latter of whom looked good, though injury cut short some strong potential at Goodison Park.
Has Dewsbury-Hall just become Everton’s most important player? 🤔
An overview of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall's stats in Everton's win over Bournemouth.
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Fabian Delph failed to flatter, as did injury-prone signing Jean-Philippe Gbamin. With Brazilian star Allan coming into the side as a high-profile signing from Napoli, it looked as though those midfield woes would be over but he only performed well for a short period of time. Dele Alli was another flop who just could not get started at Goodison Park.
Of course, the likes of Abdoulaye Doucoure, Gylfi Sigurdsson and James Rodriguez could all be considered. However, they were all more attacking options, whilst Dewsbury-Hall can play deeper in midfield and produce at both ends of the pitch.
He’s already showing the hallmarks of an incredible signing for the Toffees and Stubbs is precisely right in what he is saying about the Toffees star.
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