Everton's Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall on England, Ambitions, and Noise

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall quickly made himself a fan favourite at Everton following his arrival from Chelsea last season.

Adding a much-needed creative and goalscoring threat from midfield, Dewsbury-Hall made an immediate impact with the Toffees. The former Leicester City man has made the number 10 position his own now, and he's appeared to have really bought into what this club means to its supporters.

After moving to Chelsea, Dewsbury-Hall saw himself become a squad player at best, and he quickly needed a fresh move to get his career back on track. Everton offered him the chance to become a guaranteed starter, and he's grabbed the opportunity with both hands.

This season, Dewsbury-Hall hasn't quite hit the same levels as we saw in the previous campaign, but it's certainly early days.

The English attacking midfielder has been speaking about the season so far, his England ambitions, and the targets for the season.

In an interview with Everton, Dewsbury-Hall was asked whether he thinks supporters have seen the best of him yet. The 28-year-old believes there is more to come from him, and he's hoping to become more of an all-round player this season. 

"No [fans haven't seen the best yet]. I just know my ability and what I can bring to the team. I’ve had some big goals and good performances, but they’ve not seen everything yet.

"I’m hoping this year, you’ll see more of an all-round player. Someone who can score, get assists, win duels, create chances.

"That’s what I’m building and trying to get to that point."

It hasn't taken long for Dewsbury-Hall to settle in at Everton. We've already seen him kissing the badge, showing leadership on the pitch, and becoming a key, experienced figure in the squad. 

Speaking on adapting to life on Merseyside, Dewsbury-Hall says it feels like home for him after fitting in instantly.

"It does. It does feel like home. I fitted in from minute one and everyone has helped me along the way.

"It’s about using that now and building and building. It feels right, this club. I’m really, really happy."

It's perhaps a surprise that Dewsbury-Hall is yet to pick up an England cap during his career. The move to Chelsea may have hurt his chances during that period after a difficult spell at Stamford Bridge, while he now has some difficult competition in his position. 

Dewsbury-Hall says he's still pushing for that England call-up, especially as he's regularly in the provisional squads.

"You get the provisional squads which I’m in every time now. That tells you you’re close.

"I believe in my ability. I know if I can show what I know I can do, it’s inevitable at some point. I want to put it in the manager’s head, so he knows it’s not really an option.  

"So, if I can do that, maybe I’ll be lucky and get one!"

There have been rumours circulating over the years that Dewsbury-Hall could choose to represent a different country, but the fact that he's yet to switch shows he's committed to making it with England one day. 

"With all due respect, I wouldn’t be waiting for England if I didn’t think I could play for England. I’m more than ready to show what I can do, and it’ll be up to [the manager] at the end of the day."

It's no secret that it was a disappointing summer transfer window for Everton. There has been a lot of noise surrounding the club following that, and Dewsbury-Hall has said that he and the squad are making sure that none of that has a negative impact on their performances.

"They’re the things we can’t control. Nothing is going to be perfect in football and it never is. We can only control what we can control and that’s to put in the best account of ourselves as we can when we step over the white lines. 

"In the start of the season, we’ve done that. We’re making sure no outside noise is affecting anything and we’ll continue to do what we’re trying to do."

Dewsbury-Hall was also asked about potential targets for the season. The Everton midfielder refused to put a label on any potential goals, but he's shut down claims that the target is just to stay in the Premier League.

"Definitely not what I’m seeing from the outside of just staying up. Definitely not that. I’m very confident and I know the lads in the dressing room are quietly confident.

"We’ve got a lot of quality in the squad – and a lot of know-how and experience, hundreds of Premier League appearances. I know we’ve got a smaller squad but we’ve got a lot of quality, a lot of very good players."