The transfer of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall could open up new tactical options for David Moyes and Everton
METLIFE STADIUM, EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY, UNITED STATES - 2025/07/13: Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall of Chelsea FC poses with his medal during the award ceremony following the FIFA Club World Cup final football match between Chelsea FC and Paris Saint-Germain FC. Chelsea FC won 3-0 over Paris Saint-Germain FC. (Photo by Nicolò Campo/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall poses with his winners medal during the award ceremony following the FIFA Club World Cup final between Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain
(Image: Nicolò Campo/LightRocket via Getty Images)
A lack of options sometimes leads to necessary experimentation. It has been the case for David Moyes and Everton this summer.
The Blues’ small squad during pre-season has been no secret. Moyes has frequently referenced the lack of players and, at times, has had to cobble together an XI just to get a team on the pitch.
“We were nearly struggling to field the team in some ways today,” he said after the 3-0 loss to AFC Bournemouth on tour in the United States. “We had five players playing out of position, really.”
That night, Everton fielded a back five that included two full-backs at centre-back and two midfielders at wing-back. In the following game against West Ham United, there was a three-man defence again - a formation Moyes did not use in any Premier League game last season.
On Sunday against Manchester United, there were more changes. The familiar back four returned, although the midfield structure was different. James Garner sat deepest, with Idrissa Gueye and Tim Iroegbunam pushed higher. It meant there was no natural No. 10 in the team.
While Moyes’ rare dalliances with a back five may have been born of necessity, that may have been less the case against Manchester United. Perhaps it was no surprise that, just an hour after that game finished, Everton’s strong interest in Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall was reported.
That interest has since developed into something more significant. The 26-year-old midfielder is now set to join Everton in a £25million deal after undergoing a medical on Tuesday.
One of Dewsbury-Hall’s main attributes is his all-round ability. The former Leicester City man can run, tackle, and create chances in possession. Still, like any player, he has a preferred role - and it’s one that may not necessarily exist in the system Moyes used last season.
After his reappointment, Everton almost exclusively played a 4-2-3-1. And Dewsbury-Hall? Perhaps he's not quite defensively sound enough to play as one of the deeper two midfielders, and perhaps not quite enough of a No.10 to play higher up.
Where he has been most effective is as a classic No.8 in a 4-3-3 or 4-5-1 formation, picking the ball up deep, bursting forward and creating openings in the final third, all with defensive cover behind him.
If you were to imagine Everton’s midfield three as an upside-down triangle, Dewsbury-Hall would probably want to be at the top-left point.
Coincidentally, that shape is what we saw against United. Garner operated as the midfield pivot, while Gueye was given more licence to press higher. It’s easy to see how the left-footed Dewsbury-Hall could slot into that structure.
After starring for Leicester with a 14-goal Championship campaign, Dewsbury-Hall made it clear what he sees as his best role when he joined Chelsea.
“I’m a box-to-box midfielder,” he said. “I am somebody who likes to attack, drive at defenders and make things happen with goals and assists. I will also give 100 per cent for the team defensively, and I am someone who can contribute in every aspect of the game.
“I think scoring more goals has been down to a combination of everything. I spoke to Enzo Maresca about adding more goals to my game, thought of methods to do it, and managed to succeed. It was nice to get into double figures.”
At Chelsea, that never quite materialised. While he was a regular in the Europa Conference League, Dewsbury-Hall was limited in his Premier League opportunities. Occasionally, he was even used on the right flank - a position that definitely doesn’t suit his talents.
Moyes may have a vision for Dewsbury-Hall within a 4-2-3-1. Or he could switch to a version of 4-3-3 to potentially unlock his talent to full effect.
Either way, the midfielder’s imminent arrival gives the team more options. And Everton certainly need more of those.