Everton have completed the signing of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall from Chelsea for a fee that could rise to £28m. The midfielder followed manager Enzo Maresca from Leicester to Chelsea last summer for £30m but was unable to secure regular Premier League football at Stamford Bridge.
The 26-year-old started 14 of Chelsea’s 15 games in their triumphant Europa Conference League campaign, scoring four goals and providing three assists. He also made five appearances at the Club World Cup won by Chelsea.
Dewsbury-Hall has signed a five-year contract with Everton, who will pay a guaranteed £25m plus £3m in add-ons.
“For me to leave my old club, it would have had to have been for something special, a project I really believed in,” Dewsbury-Hall said. “After speaking to the manager and seeing the ambitions with the new stadium and everything, it felt like the right club, it felt like the right fit for me for the next step.
“[David Moyes] said he’s been admiring me for a while; he loves the way I play and just explained to me what he sees me doing in my role in this team. That’s what you want to hear as a player.
“I have enormous respect for him, he’s a legend of the game, so it’ll be a pleasure to work under him.”
Dewsbury-Hall is Everton’s fifth signing of the summer but attempts to add Tyler Dibling to the squad look likely to be frustrated. Everton have made three offers for the 19-year-old, the latest worth about £40m, but talks are at an impasse with Southampton holding out for more.
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Everton also have an interest in Jack Grealish, but have not opened talks with Manchester City over the England international. A season’s loan fee for Grealish could cost £12m and Moyes has other priorities, including a right-winger.
