Harry Watkinson
Could this be a big season for Leicester’s Dewsbury-Hall?
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall netted in Leicester City’s opener against Brentford on Saturday and with so much excitement for him among Foxes fans… could this be a big breakthrough season for the 23-year-old?
This article breaks down the English midfielders’ stats from his last three seasons, which he has spent with Blackpool and Luton Town on loan, and last season playing regularly for Leicester.
If Leicester let James Maddison leave this summer, could Dewsbury-Hall be the long-term solution?
2019-20 – Blackpool (loan)
Up until 2019, Dewsbury-Hall played all of his football in Premier League 2 for the Leicester under-21 team and he had shown plenty of signs of his potential; scoring goals and making assists fairly consistently for the team.
His brief four-month stint at Blackpool in 2020, after signing for them in the January window, was his first taste of senior football and he quickly became a favourite among the Bloomfield Road faithful.
He played every game he was available for, starting nine out of 10 of all his appearances. Clearly, the then-Blackpool manager Neil Critchley recognised his quality instantly. He played mostly as a number eight, but also as a number six on occasion, showing his versatility in the middle of the park.
Dewsbury-Hall put in some excellent work rate off the ball, covering a lot of ground for the Seasiders and he made an average of 2 successful tackles per game – showing he can be effective at breaking up play as well as going forward.
As for his play on the ball, he was well-involved in the matches he played with an average of 39.7 passes per game: he was not afraid to receive the ball despite being an inexperienced player. His pass success rate did leave room for improvement though, which was at just 76.3%, suggesting he tended to give the ball away at times.
However, where he was good with the ball was in creating chances. He averaged one key pass per game in his 10 matches, showing he can be an effective link between attack and defence, having the confidence to play through balls and long balls over the top. He finished the season with just one assist though, so he could’ve done better in this area, despite creating chances.
Perhaps the most exciting thing about Dewsbury-Hall’s game in the 2019-20 season was his confidence to shoot. Across the season he averaged 1.6 shots on target per game, scoring four times for Blackpool in total, including one absolute screamer from 25 yards out against Tranmere which was nominated for the League One goal of the season award.
Over his 10 games, he was the man of the match six times, so that shows how much he stood out in the English third tier.
It was an underwhelming season for Blackpool as they finished in a lowly 13th place, but Dewsbury-Hall was one of the positives and he remains fondly thought of by the fans.
Played: 10
Tackles per game: 2
Passes per game: 39.7
Pass success: 76.3%
Key passes per game: 1
Shots per game: 1.6
Assists: 1
Goals: 4
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2020-21 – Luton Town (loan)
In the following season, Dewsbury-Hall seized the opportunity to step up to playing Championship football with a full-season loan spell at Luton Town.
He played in all but two of the games he was available for, starting and playing 90 minutes in most of them. Obviously, there is a jump in quality between League One and the Championship, but the English midfielder seemed to make the transition seamlessly.
He had to maintain his high defensive work rate as he was used mostly as a defensive midfielder for Luton. He performed this role admirably though, making 1.6 tackles per game on average and helping his loanee club to 12 clean sheets in total.
As for his passing, he was even more involved in the matches he played, with 43.2 passes per game on average, so he remained confident on the ball. However, he failed to improve on his passing accuracy which dropped to 76.2%.
But, again, you must remember that the Englishman was trying to create chances for his teammates, rather than playing simple passes. This caught the attention of big clubs, even when he was at Luton. He was often successful, too, as he increased his number of key passes made per game to 1.7; showing he was dangerous to any opposing team because of his vision and ability to pick out forwards.
As his number of key passes increased, so to did his assists, making six in all competitions for the Hatters.
Dewsbury-Hall continued his confidence in front of goal too, averaging 1.2 shots on target per game and scoring three goals for Luton in total, which when you consider he was playing largely in a defensive role isn’t a bad return.
Luton survived relegation by two points in the 2020-21 season… without Dewsbury-Hall in the team, they may have gone down.
Played: 40
Tackles per game: 1.6
Passes per game: 43.2
Pass success: 76.2%
Key passes per game: 1.7
Shots per game: 1.2
Assists: 6
Goals: 3
2021-22 – Leicester City
Dewsbury-Hall’s solid performances in League One and the Championship ultimately granted him the opportunity to prove himself in the Premier League last season, with Brendan Rodgers granting him a regular slot in the Leicester side.
He played 44 matches in all competitions and in the vast majority he stayed on the pitch for the full 90 minutes. Clearly, the Englishman showed he had the stamina to keep up with the high tempo of Premier League football. He also gained some valuable experience playing in both the Europa League and the Europa Conference League.
Dewsbury-Hall played a different role for Rodgers, sitting usually in a number six role, or as an attacking midfielder or even playing as a winger for the Foxes last season. However, he still maintained his high defensive work rate too, making 1.4 tackles per game and helping to break up opposition attacks.
He, once again, wasn’t fazed by the step up in quality as he remained heavily involved in matches, averaging 41 passes per game with an improved pass accuracy of 81.2%. If he can continue to progress in this regard this season, he could become even more of an asset for the Foxes.
The part of Dewsbury-Hall’s game which caught the eye the most, though, was his confidence to play dangerous balls in behind, just as he did at Blackpool and Luton. He averaged 1.3 key passes per game, showing he still possessed an attacking threat playing in the Premier League.
However, he still only made three assists. For him to have a big ‘breakthrough’ season where he is looked at as one of the best young midfielders in the division, he needs to boost that number considerably.
Dewsbury-Hall maintained his confidence in front of goal for the Foxes, averaging 0.8 shots on target per game and scoring three times in total. He scored one particularly brilliant goal against Crystal Palace, where he received the ball near the edge of the box with his back to goal, turned the defender and with a stunning left-footed effort put the ball in the top corner. Foxes fans will be hoping to see more of that this season
By comparison though, when James Maddison had his ‘breakthrough’ Premier League season, he made seven assists and also scored seven goals for Leicester, which is over three times the amount of goal contributions Dewsbury-Hall made last season. Those are the numbers he needs to be aiming for.
He made the perfect start to the new campaign with his goal in Leicester’s 2-2 draw with Brentford at the weekend, hopefully, that will give Dewsbury-Hall the confidence to score and create plenty more goals.
Played: 44
Tackles per game: 1.4
Passes per game: 41
Pass success: 81.2%
Key passes per game: 1.3
Shots per game: 0.8
Assists: 3
Goals: 3
