Everton are building something under David Moyes’ wing – again.
Having shaped the Merseysiders into a force of consistency and resilience over a decade of tireless service, the 63-year-old has been back at the helm throughout 2025, with the summer transfer window packaging exciting new talent into the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
However, with Idrissa Gueye set to leave at the end of his contract next year and Tim Iroegbunam yet to prove he has the minerals for a sustained starting role in Moyes’ system, Moyes may look to strengthen his central fold in 2026.
He does boast one of the most dynamic centre-midfielders in the Premier League, though, with this profile something that proved successful for the Scottish manager all those years ago at Goodison Park.
Moyes’ best-ever Everton midfielders
Moyes enforces a principled and organised playing style, and energy and industriousness is at its heart. This was true 20 years ago, and it remains a core element of the make-up now.
But pragmatic though Moyes has been tagged at times, he has always pushed for creativity, an attacking dimension coming from the centre and with the capacity to defend strongly.
Tim Cahill embodied this. Not quite a forward, he scored lots of goals. Not quite a central midfielder, the Australian was combative and aggressive.
No player has ever featured more often in a Moyes side than Leon Osman. Not the flashiest, the versatile Englishman played his entire career on the blue half of Merseyside, save for two early-career loan spells as he was making his way.
|
Moyes’ Most-used Everton Midfielders |
||
|---|---|---|
|
# |
Player |
Apps |
|
1. |
Leon Osman |
345 |
|
2. |
Tim Cahill |
278 |
|
3. |
Mikel Arteta |
209 |
|
4. |
Lee Carsley |
194 |
|
5. |
Marouane Fellaini |
173 |
|
Data via Transfermarkt |
||
Another of Moyes’ mainstays was Mikel Arteta. Look closely and you may trace elements of Moyes’ influence in the Arsenal manager’s drilled and oiled style, merged with the technical genius of Pep Guardiola to shape the Gunners into bona fide contenders at the highest level.
As a player, the 43-year-old was dynamic and intelligent, adding a dimension otherwise unavailable to the Blues team. He is creative on the ball and tenacious against the run of play, once saying he would “go through a brick wall” for Moyes.
Arteta was arguably Moyes’ most trusted lieutenant, the man who helped make it all tick.
Now, the tactician has refashioned his former favourite in the shape of a new Everton star.
Moyes’ new version of Arteta
Like Arteta during his Everton prime, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall is a versatile midfielder.
The opening months of the 2025/26 campaign have shown the 27-year-old to be a talented and effective midfielder, situated in the centre of the park and tasked with connecting play.
Yet he arrived from Chelsea, for a £28m fee, having played second-fiddle in Enzo Maresca’s team. He was part of last term’s Club World Cup and Conference League-winning squads, but featured only 13 times in the Premier League, starting twice.
But moving to Everton was the perfect thing for a man in the prime of his career. His performances since arriving at the Hill Dickinson prove this, and he is showing too that he can be a “revelation” for multiple clubs, having been hailed as such for his efforts at Leicester by former boss Brendan Rodgers.
Averaging 1.9 key passes and winning 5.3 duels per game this term, as per Sofascore, it’s hard to argue against the success of the signing; Dewsbury-Hall may even be one of the Premier League’s most underrated signings.
Arteta’s clever and imaginative passing was a staple of his game. In this, Dewsbury-Hall could emulate him. Data from FBref shows us that the Englishman ranks among the top 8% of midfielders in the Premier League for passes into the penalty area and the top 8% for progressive passes per 90.
A pass is considered progressive if the distance between the starting point and the next touch is at least 10 meters closer to the opponent’s goal or any completed pass into the penalty area.
Starting all but one of Everton’s Premier League matches thus far, missing out against Crystal Palace due to suspension, the £90k-per-week talent has shown he has the personality and presence to become Moyes’ next Arteta, instrumental in progressing play and steering Everton away from their pragmatic reputation.
The likes of Jack Grealish and Iliman Ndiaye will more often than not take the headlines, but in Dewsbury-Hall, Moyes has recycled a tried and tested playing style, and it’s already beginning to bear dividends.
