Everton midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has hit back at critics who predicted a relegation fight for the club this season, insisting the squad is "more than good enough for Europe" despite a turbulent summer transfer window.
Everton missed out on most of their key transfer targets over the summer, leaving manager David Moyes with a thin squad and no back-up options in several positions. Owners the Friedkin Group angered supporters by attempting to sell Harrison Armstrong, described as Everton's best academy graduate in years. On deadline day, star forward Iliman Ndiaye was released.
Dewsbury-Hall said he watched the deadline-day coverage from his sofa and was frustrated, not at the club, but at how it was being portrayed. "I've seen all of the stuff, all the meltdowns, in all honesty it annoyed me a bit," he said. "I get where people are coming from, everyone wants to sign everyone and have the perfect squad. But there are still 19 lads in this building who are going to hopefully take this club to good things this year. That was getting disregarded."
"I was seeing people saying, 'we'll be lucky to stay up this year.' What message is that sending to the lads who are already here?" he added. "I'm not blaming anyone. We get it. It didn't work. But let's all be positive, right, it's done, bang, let's go."
Dewsbury-Hall, 28, joined Everton after a move from Leicester City to Chelsea left him on the periphery of Enzo Maresca's squad. Now in his second season on Merseyside, he is thriving under Moyes, with Everton unbeaten in the Premier League so far this term and having thrashed Preston North End in the Carabao Cup.
Leadership role and Moyes's message
With long-serving captain Seamus Coleman out, Dewsbury-Hall has been voted into a leadership group alongside new skipper James Tarkowski, Jordan Pickford and James Garner, a significant honour given he has been at the club for barely a year.
The day after deadline day, Moyes gathered that leadership group and told them to shut out the outside noise. "There was a lot of outside noise that you obviously see but he wanted to speak about his views on it," Dewsbury-Hall said. "There won't be one excuse from any of the players or staff about anything this year. In fact, it'll be the opposite... it's on us now to control what we can control."
Quality despite a smaller squad
Dewsbury-Hall argued that Everton's reduced numbers should not be mistaken for a lack of quality. "I know we've got a smaller squad but we've got some really good players. Our starting XI is top, like it's a European starting XI," he said.
"I get it, you need a whole squad, but we've got 17, 18 players at a really, really good level," he added. "We quickly realised, 'hang on a minute, look around the dressing room, top player, top player, top player.' If we do the right things we can be successful."
Playing under David Moyes
Dewsbury-Hall also praised Moyes's management style, describing a manager who is sparing with praise but relentless in demanding improvement. "He is not exactly a manager that is constantly telling you 'well done.' I am fine with that completely," he said. "He's very on it in terms of what we can do better. He's already thinking about that, rather than what we've done well."
He added that Moyes has drawn on past experience of turbulent situations in his career. "He is not letting it affect him, not in front of us, so we have to try to repay that," Dewsbury-Hall said. "It helps us, the fact that he is always, 'let's go, bang bang bang.'"
Chasing Europe again
Everton sat three points off the Champions League places after beating Chelsea on March 20 last season, but failed to win again and slid to a 13th-place finish. Asked whether Europe was achievable this time, Dewsbury-Hall said: "For sure, definitely."
"That was the first year in I don't know how many where we have been really pushing for Europe until the last day. Having that in our locker is massive," he said. "There are a lot of clubs in Europe this year who have never been there before. Would you have said Sunderland and Bournemouth would have qualified last year? What difference are they to us?"
He said Everton had grown complacent late in the previous campaign but would not repeat that mistake, and stressed the club's hunger for a first trophy in what will be 32 years by the end of this season, pointing to what a cup run did for Newcastle United.
An England chance
Dewsbury-Hall revealed he received a message last week informing him he is on a long-list of players being monitored by England manager Thomas Tuchel ahead of the international camp at the end of September.
"I know I'm the closest I have ever been now," he said. "Physical things like that tell you that you're getting closer. It's up to me. It's got to be me that forces his hand to choose me. It's not going to be given to me." He said he intends to keep pushing until, hopefully, the call comes, adding: "I'll keep that message."
Everton travel to face Tottenham Hotspur this weekend, with another strong performance from Dewsbury-Hall likely to keep him firmly in Tuchel's thinking.
