How Everton could repeat their Dewsbury-Hall masterclass

Everton need to produce the goods this season, with David Moyes‘ side flaking away at the end of the 2025/26 season, short-lived dreams of venturing into Europe tempered and reduced to a solid but unspectacular mid-table finish.

At least Everton have recovered from the seasons-long plight that forced them down into status as relegation fodder in the Premier League. At least the desire for a high finish is stronger than the fear of falling into the Championship.

Still, a third 13th-place finish in a row would stink of stagnancy, and the Toffees owners cannot afford to simmer away in the middle of the pack, lacking the edge and ambition that the fanbase crave after a decade of many frustrations.

The interminable wait for a new right-back rages on, but Everton do have players who can step up across the park and lead, spearhead this side forward. With that in mind, it could be a big year for Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.

Why this could be Dewsbury-Hall’s year

Last season, Dewsbury-Hall excelled for Everton, joining the club from Chelsea after a disappointing year at Stamford Bridge. He only started twice for Enzo Maresca’s side in the Premier League, his promising career derailed.

But the 27-year-old cemented himself as a mainstay for Moyes’ side from the get-go, not just a consummate playmaker, but a combative and dynamic midfielder, bringing a degree of completeness that Moyes expects from his players.

Dewsbury-Hall can play in advanced or deeper midfield roles. He has caught the eye across different positions, completing 54% of his dribbles and winning 4.7 duels and 1.7 tackles per game on average last season.

He has spoken of his excitement to get going and build on that first year at the Hill Dickinson. Evertonians must be eager to see how he performs over the coming year, a fine example of how players can enjoy resurgences after falling by the wayside following a big move.

The all-action midfielder struggled to get a look-in across his year at Chelsea. They signed him from Leicester City for £30m in 2024. Now, with less than two weeks of the transfer window remaining, Moyes is eager to repeat that trick.

Everton line up their next Dewsbury-Hall

Everton are not riding the crest of a wave under Moyes’ leadership, but that’s not to say they can’t kick on and make real progress over the coming year. After all, there were murmurs of Champions League qualification before that dour seven-game winless run to close out the campaign.

According to The i Paper, Everton have joined Leeds United and Nottingham Forest in showing the strongest interest in Liam Delap, who is allowed to leave Chelsea this summer for £50m.

That’s a little steep. Everton have firm historical interest in the 23-year-old, but his move to Stamford Bridge last summer went a little heywire, and he only scored once in the Premier League last season.

However, Delap did prove his worth the year before. He scored 12 times in the top flight with Ipswich Town, standing out for the Tractor Boys in spite of their poor season, relegated right back down. A “wrecking ball” of a forward, as has been noted by Sky Sports’ Lewis Jones.

Delap made a mistake in moving to Stamford Bridge after a promising breakout season in the Premier League. He bagged just the one goal, but failed to gel with the Chelsea system, though the Londoners were all over the place last term, slumping to a tenth-place finish.

It was a similar story for Dewsbury-Hall, who has been resurgent on Merseyside and indeed spoke of his ‘excitement’ over his season term at the club. Could Delap now follow suit, joining a club who would moor him in a more suitable harbour? At Chelsea, it simply hasn’t worked out – and Xabi Alonso is showing little sign of wanting Delap to play a big part over the coming year.

A product of Manchester City’s youth academy, Delap’s potential was recognised from an early age. Though £50m is too high a price tag from the Blues, the right amount of negotiating could pull off a statement signing for Everton, allowing them to repeat the success of the Dewsbury-Hall deal last year.

Delap is at a low ebb, but Everton did their homework on the former Town striker last summer, knew he had the right profile to dovetail into the front of Moyes’ attacking system.

Now, he could remedy last year’s mistake and spearhead an Everton charge up into Europe.