Everton have confirmed the signing of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall from Chelsea for a fee worth up to £28 million.
The 26-year-old midfielder joins on a five-year contract, keeping him at Hill Dickinson Stadium until June 2030. The deal consists of an initial £24 million payment, with a further £3–4 million due in performance-related add-ons.
A product of Leicester City’s academy, Dewsbury-Hall becomes Everton’s fifth signing of the summer following the arrivals of Charly Alcaraz, Thierno Barry, Mark Travers, and Adam Aznou.
“I’m honestly very excited. My family’s excited. There’s a real buzz about this,” said Dewsbury-Hall. “It feels right for me. That alone gives me the motivation and extra determination to prove a point and have a really successful time here.”
A Stalled Spell at Chelsea
Dewsbury-Hall joined Chelsea last summer and adapted well to manager Enzo Maresca’s system, having worked with him previously at Leicester. However, he struggled to break into a midfield dominated by Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez, and Romeo Lavia.
He made just two Premier League starts across the campaign, with a total of 13 league appearances amounting to 256 minutes.
Despite limited domestic action, he shone in Europe, scoring four goals in the UEFA Conference League and assisting Jadon Sancho’s goal in the final against Real Betis.
He also featured in Chelsea’s FIFA Club World Cup campaign, netting in the 4-1 win over Benfica and coming off the bench in the final victory over Paris Saint-Germain.
Although regarded as a solid performer when called upon, Dewsbury-Hall became yet another example of Chelsea’s revolving door policy, joining a list of players who arrived with promise only to depart within a year.
A Sale Driven by Financial Pressure
Chelsea’s decision to offload Dewsbury-Hall is influenced by UEFA financial control regulations. The club must raise funds from players registered in last season’s European competitions in order to register new signings like Joao Pedro, Jamie Gittens, and Liam Delap for the 2025 Champions League.
Failure to do so could see the Blues restricted in naming their squad ahead of UEFA’s September registration deadline.
Moyes Eyes Midfield Goals
Everton manager David Moyes has made no secret of his desire to add depth and firepower to his midfield, particularly as he seeks a successor to Abdoulaye Doucouré’s attacking influence.
Dewsbury-Hall could fit that profile perfectly.
Though his game time at Chelsea was limited, his form in Leicester’s 2023/24 Championship-winning season was outstanding. The box-to-box midfielder racked up 12 goals and 14 assists, a tally only bettered three times in the past decade at that level.
If he can replicate that productivity at Premier League level, Dewsbury-Hall could become a central figure in Moyes’ midfield rebuild.