David Moyes looks on.
Photo by Maynard Manyowa/News Images/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Michael Dell speaks on stage
Photo by Joan Cros/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Harrison Armstrong warming up for Everton.
Photo by Lee Parker – CameraSport via Getty Images
Everton manager David Moyes looks on.
Photo by Silvina Brodersohn – CameraSport via Getty Images
Credit: Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)
Hull City v Everton - Premier League 2026/27
Photo by Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images
Everton v Chelsea FC - Premier League 2026/27
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall playing for Everton.
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
This term, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has arguably failed to hit the heights he did last season, but Tony Bellew has come to the midfielder’s defence.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall was one of the standout performers last term for the Toffees, scoring eight goals and making six assists in his first season after joining from Chelsea. He narrowly missed out on Everton’s Player of the Season award to James Garner, but fans were certainly pleased with what they saw.
But in 2026/27 so far, Dewsbury hasn’t quite delivered in terms of attacking output. So far, he’s scored just two goals and has made one assist.
In recent weeks, there have been some calls for Dewsbury-Hall to be dropped from the starting XI, with players like Hayden Hackney and Charly Alcaraz waiting in the wings for opportunities.
For former boxer and big Everton fan Tony Bellew, though, the notion of dropping Dewsbury-Hall is inexplicable.
How excited are you about Harrison Armstrong's development right now at Everton? Don Hutchison reckons he could eventually get to Declan Rice's level 👀
Ikr
Wow imagine he reached anywhere near that level 🤩what a player Kroos was
Didn’t send him out on loan for this season though did he, and he’s started him every game so far. There’s far more things with Moyes to be critical than his handling of Armstrong imo
Tony Bellew adamant Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall mustn’t be dropped for Everton
Bellew believes that Dewsbury-Hall simply offers too much for Everton and shouldn’t lose his place in the starting XI.
Speaking on the Outside The Box Pod, he insisted: “Oh, behave yourself, come on! Kiernan needs a rest?! He’s just had three weeks off for the international break. Don’t start with ‘Kiernan needs a rest’, he’s flying!
“Kiernan’s got to be on the pitch mate. Kiernan has to start every single week, every game. And if I hear that he’s said that he’s tired, I’m going to have to tell him, ‘Hey lad, there’s Nytol here. When you’re tired you have a little kip. You have a rest, have a good Nytol’.
“He’s important. He’s brilliant. Ultimately, he is a seriously important player for our football club. I’m sorry, but he’s one of the first names on the teamsheet. For me, he’s as important as Jordan, Tarky, as Jimmy – there’s players, Os, who are non-negotiables in my opinion.
“If he goes on international duty I get what you’re saying. If he was part of that international squad, then he does need a break right now, I agree. But he wasn’t, so he doesn’t. And that’s my thought process.
Dewsbury-Hall is still crucial for Everton
Some won’t agree with Bellew about Dewsbury-Hall, but the star is still doing well in a number of metrics this season for Everton.
Of course, ideally he needs to be scoring and assisting more. But Fotmob data shows he is in the 94th percentile for both chances created and line-breaking passes in the Premier League. This shows he is trying to make things happen.
That he only has one assist so far, but has created 18 chances, suggests some of his teammates are actually letting him down.