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.

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.

“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.