Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall reveals role in Jack Grealish Everton transfer and why they both signed

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall reveals role in Jack Grealish Everton transfer and why they both signed

Kieran Dewsbury-Hall spoke after he starred alongside Jack Grealish and Iliman Ndiaye in Everton's 3-2 win at Wolves on Saturday

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall celebrates with Jack Grealish after the pair combined to score Everton's crucial third goal in the win at Wolves

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall helped to convince Jack Grealish to join him at Everton - messaging his pal: “Get yourself down here, mate.”

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The pair were friends off the pitch before they linked up at the Blues to create a partnership that was devastating in the 3-2 win at Wolves on Saturday. So it was only natural for Grealish to let Dewsbury-Hall settle for a few days before asking his mate: “How is it?”

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Dewsbury-Hall said both players were attracted to Everton because they wanted to be part of a project they believed could go somewhere. At Molineux on Saturday they provided the most emphatic evidence so far they may be onto something.

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The match was tight only because defensive mistakes undermined the attacking brilliance of the two summer signings and the Blues' star of last season, Iliman Ndiaye.

Speaking after celebrating a third successive victory with Everton supporters in the away end, Dewsbury-Hall was asked whether he felt there was something building.

He responded: “Honestly, that's the reason I came to this club. For me to leave my previous club would have had to have been for a project, something exciting.

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“I've been here a month now and it's shown me everything I wanted. It's very early days, but it's about building now and getting that winning mentality and progressing. It's a good start.”

The 26-year-old moved to Merseyside in search of regular football after a year of mixed fortunes at Chelsea.

While he won the Europa Conference League and Club World Cup, minutes proved inconsistent in the Premier League.

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He said: “I won two trophies at Chelsea last season, so I don't regret going there. I played a big part in the trophies, so I'm happy with the year I had there. But for me, it was the right time to move on and progress my career and try and play regularly.

“So this does feel like a fresh start for me. And I want to build on the new project for the new football club. I'm so motivated and so excited and hopefully it's the start of an exciting chapter.”

That excitement has intensified through the opportunity to work alongside Grealish and Ndiaye. On the Manchester City loanee, he Dewsbury-Hall said: “One thing I've noticed is Jack's one of the first in and one of the last out at training every day.

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“He's always doing the recovery, doing the right things, ice baths, massages, putting himself in the best possible position to perform for the team. And look, he's played three games this week, which is a credit to him. He's kept himself in the right shape.”

It was Grealish who played Dewsbury-Hall through for Everton’s third against Wolves, a stunning strike that marked his first for the club - a goal David Moyes hopes will be followed by many more.

“It bounced up and I just thought it set up nicely,” he said, adding: “I remember the first time I looked up and it was in, so it was nice.”

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The two summer arrivals also combined for the second goal, with Dewsbury-Hall playing a neat one-two with the 29-year-old before crossing for Ndiaye at the back post.

Follow transfer deadline day live with the ECHO Transfer deadline day is almost upon us and Everton still have business to do. It's already been a busy summer for David Moyes' side but they are still trying to strengthen their squad further. A right-back and a central midfielder remain on the agenda for Moyes with lots of different names linked. It means that they club will likely be trying to do some late deals as the window comes to a close. You can keep up-to-date with all the latest transfer news and receive updates directly to your phone by subscribing to our EFC newsletters or joining our WhatsApp community below: EFC NEWSLETTER

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Moments before, a clever ball from Dewsbury-Hall almost gave Grealish his first goal in Royal Blue.

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Both are revelling in the faith Moyes has placed in them and the freedom he has given. He said: “I think we both felt it was the right time to experience a bit of a new challenge. I've known Jack a while, we've known each other off the pitch for a while. So, I know what he's like as a lad and he wants to play every week and show people what he's about.

“And I'm the same, so I think we're on that same sort of wavelength, so it's nice… the manager gives us the confidence to go and express ourselves, but I think you can see in the game it's not like we're not working.

“We're running our nuts off to try and help the team. But the reason we do that is because we're getting the confidence from the manager and the fans. So, it's like a double advantage.

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“It's not like we're players that don't run. The first thing we do is work hard for the team, but on the ball we just have that confidence to express ourselves.”

It is not just Grealish who Dewsbury-Hall is forming a relationship with - the former Leicester City man has been impressed with Ndiaye.

He said: “You can really notice how good of a player he is. He's top level. I knew that watching him, but he's top level, so it's nice to play with him as well.”

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