Dewsbury-Hall has point to prove after sealing Everton switch

LONDON: Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall said he wants to “prove a point” after sealing a move to Everton following a frustrating one-year spell at Chelsea.

The midfielder joined the Toffees on Wednesday for a reported fee of £28 million ($37 million) just 12 months after a £30-million move from Leicester to Chelsea.

Dewsbury-Hall was part of the Chelsea side that won the Europa Conference League and Club World Cup in former Leicester manager Enzo Maresca’s first season in charge, but he struggled for first-team opportunities in the Premier League.

The 26-year-old is Everton’s fifth signing of the summer transfer window after Charly Alcaraz, Thierno Barry, Mark Travers and Adam Aznou ahead of their first season in a new 53,000-capacity stadium.

“I’m so, so excited to get started,” he said. “Just sitting here in the stadium, it’s unbelievable.

“It feels right for me. So just that alone gives me the motivation and the extra determination to show everybody, to prove a point and have a really successful time here.”

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Everton begin their season away to Leeds on August 18 before their first competitive fixture at the Hill Dickinson Stadium against Brighton six days later.

Separately, Holders Al Hilal will be banned from the 2026-27 Saudi Super Cup if they qualify after withdrawing from this season’s four-team competition, the Saudi Arabia Football Federation’s (SAFF) Disciplinary and Ethics Committee said on Tuesday.

The decision came after Al Hilal pulled out of the Super Cup, scheduled to be played from August 19-23 in Hong Kong, citing player fatigue following their Club World Cup campaign. They lost 2-1 to Fluminense in the quarter-finals on July 4.

“Al Hilal refused to participate in the Saudi Super Cup for the 2025-2026 season after the official schedule for the competition was issued,” the Disciplinary and Ethics Committee said in a statement.

“As a result, the committee ruled that Al Hilal had violated Article (59-3) of the Disciplinary and Ethics Regulations and fined the club 500,000 Saudi Riyals ($133,000) to be paid to the SAFF,” the statement added.

AFP