Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall

Kiernan Frank Dewsbury-Hall (born 6 September 1998) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Chelsea.

Career

Leicester City

Early career

Dewsbury-Hall was born in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, and grew up in Shepshed, Leicestershire. He joined the Leicester City Academy in 2006 aged eight from Shepshed Dynamo Warriors of the Leicester Mutual League, who he played for at under-8 and under-9 levels. He signed his first professional contract with the club in 2017 and in 2019 was named as the Development Squad Player of the Year.

Loans and first-team breakthrough

Dewsbury-Hall made his first-team debut in a 1–0 FA Cup victory over Brentford on 25 January 2020, coming on as a substitute for Kelechi Iheanacho. Two days later, he joined Blackpool on loan for the rest of the 2019–20 season. He scored a consolation goal on his debut the following day in a 2–1 away defeat to Wycombe Wanderers, after replacing Grant Ward at half-time.

Dewsbury-Hall signed a new four-year contract with Leicester on 16 October 2020 and joined Luton Town on a season-long loan. At the end of the season, he won four awards at Luton's end of season awards ceremony, including Players' Player of the Season.

He made his Premier League debut on 28 August 2021, coming on as a substitute for James Maddison in a 2–1 away win at Norwich City. On 10 December, he scored his first goal for Leicester City, in a 3–2 defeat at Napoli in a Europa League group stage match. He scored his first Premier League goal on 10 April 2022, in a 2–1 home win against Crystal Palace. On 24 June 2022, Dewsbury-Hall signed a new long term contract with Leicester City lasting until 2027.

On the opening game of the 2023–24 season, he scored twice against Coventry City, winning the match for Leicester in the 87th minute. Being a mainstay in Enzo Maresca's side, Dewsbury-Hall guided his team back to the Premier League as champions. He won Leicester's Players' Player of the Season and Men's Player of the Season awards. He was also included in the EFL Championship Team of the Season, after scoring 12 goals and providing a further 14 assists.

Chelsea

On 2 July 2024, Dewsbury-Hall joined club Chelsea for a reported fee of £30 million. The move reunited Dewsbury-Hall with former Leicester City manager Enzo Maresca, who made the switch to Chelsea earlier in the summer. On 18 August, he made his debut for the club, as a substitute, in a 2–0 loss against Manchester City in the league.

Style of play

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall is known for his box-to-box style of play, covering large areas of the pitch. He has strong passing skills, good ball control, and contributes both defensively with effective tackling and offensively by creating opportunities. His high stamina allows him to press opponents and recover the ball consistently.