Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall or KDH is the latest academy product to potentially make the step up to the Leicester City first team. Similarly to Harvey Barnes, 22-year old KDH has benefitted massively from experience in the lower leagues, firstly at Blackpool and last season at Luton Town.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s background
After spending time as captain of the Under 23’s, KDH made his Leicester City debut in early 2020, with a brief cameo against Brentford in the FA Cup.
Subsequently for the remainder of the COVID disrupted 2019/20 season, KDH spent a short spell at Blackpool, garnering rave reviews. Despite only making 9 appearances, Dewsbury-Hall was extremely impressive, scoring 4 goals and winning over the Tangerine’s supporters.
In the season just gone, KDH has stepped up in the Championship with surprise overachievers in Luton Town. Cementing a regular spot in the midfield has led to him picking up several trophies. Winning one is an achievement in itself, but KDH managed to pick up FOUR awards as well as numerous plaudits from fans and players alike, with the Luton captain Sonny Bradley describing him as “Premier League quality”.
Leicester City player profile
As a player, KDH is a left-footed, creative central midfielder, something Leicester City lack in great depth. During his spell at Luton, he has played mostly as a left-sided central midfielder as either a box-to-box ‘8’ or a deeper-lying playmaker.
As a tactically versatile player, KDH has proved comfortable in several different systems, including the left side of a midfield diamond, as well as a deeper role in a double-pivot of a 4-2-3-1. Furthermore, KDH has occasionally been used as a ‘6’ in a defensive midfield role or as a ’10’ in a central attacking midfield role.
Statistically, (according to Whoscored) Dewsbury-Hall comes across as a solid player, with a 7.00 average rating from 39 appearances. In this time, he has registered 3 goals from 3.25 XG and 6 assists from 6.13 XA. These figures in themselves don’t paint the full picture of his talent with such statistics sometimes misleading. From all reports, KDH would have “a lot more assists” with more clinical finishing. One measurement of his impact in knitting together Luton’s midfield is demonstrated by his trophies, including most home man of the match awards.
Confidence on the ball is so important in a midfielder and KDH has this in abundance, being willing to show for the ball and take it in tight areas under pressure. Furthermore, a desire to play risky passes instead of taking the easy option combined with good decision-making is something that will serve him well in the EPL. Similar to James Maddison at his best (without some of the arrogance), KDH has a clear “belief in his ability” according to Kevin Harper, who is the Media Officer for Luton Town supporters club.
To complement his confidence, KDH also has the required quality and game intelligence on the ball. Throughout his loan spell, he has been an excellent progressive passer, registering 1.7 key passes (passes that directly lead to an attempt on goal) a game, the 9th best in the Championship.
His belief in his abilities also translates into his willingness to shoot, with him taking around 1.2 shots per game, a reasonably high volume for a midfielder who has often been employed in a deep-lying role. With many teams in the Premier League sitting deep against the Foxes, having a threat from distance is an invaluable asset to break down stubborn defences.
Set-pieces are another strength of his, with KDH’s corner taking of excellent quality, leading to comparisons with the famed David Beckham. With Leicester City struggling offensively from dead-balls, hopefully, this is something the midfielder can bring back.
Defensively, KDH is no midfield destroyer like Wilfried Ndidi or fellow academy graduate Hamza Choudhury. Even so, he’s capable of carrying out the dirty work, with 1.6 tackles a game and 1.2 interceptions a game, similar to Youri Tielemans, (2.3 tackles and 1.2 interceptions). Furthermore, the Englishman has shown a healthy level of combative aggression in his game, which will no doubt endear himself to Foxes fans.
There are areas KDH needs to improve, as all footballers do. Whilst Whoscored does not list any clear ‘weaknesses’ in his game, his pass success of 76.2% is an area for improvement. However, this may be down to the number of difficult passes he tries and the nature of Championship football. Such figures may naturally improve in the more possession-heavy system employed by Rodgers, alongside astute coaching.
How KDH might fit into the side
Brendan Rodgers usually plays a 4-2-3-1, but due to injuries, this season has utilised a fluid 3-4-1-2 amongst others. Therefore Dewsbury-Hall is likely to occupy the left of a midfield two in a 4-2-3-1 or potentially the left central role in a 4-3-3. His time at Luton has shown he is comfortable in a variety of systems, which will be music to Rodgers’ ears, with the Northern Irishmen a big fan of tactical versatility.
Of all Leicester City midfielders, KDH is the most similar to Belgian maestro Youri Tielemans, both statistically and aesthetically. Yes, Tielemans is currently on a different level, but he will need a rest at times. Indeed, the lack of this has been exposed several times last season. Being able to give the Belgian a break without majorly destabilising the team will help ensure Youri is refreshed and able to perform at his best.
Whilst Dewsbury-Hall may not be a starter just yet, quality squad depth is crucial. With money tight due to the pandemic, KDH could help the Foxes save millions, especially if Dennis Praet decides to leave. Therefore, a player of KDH’s attacking quality will buttress Leicester City’s busy campaign, with the Foxes likely to be fighting on three fronts.
Having said this, such ambitions hinge on whether Tielemans signs a new deal. FOL and Leicester City fans are united in their desire to retain the midfielder’s services, yet negotiations appear to be delayed until after the Euros. Let us hope the starman remains in an LCFC shirt next season.
Moreover, being able to call on an academy product is also useful for Europa League registration, with clubs needing to register at least 4 club-produced players. If this cannot be fulfilled, the full complement of 25 players cannot be registered. Leicester City will meet this requirement if none of the current academy graduates departs from the club this summer (Barnes, Choudhury, KDH, Thomas).
Ultimately, KDH needs to be given a chance at the highest level to prove whether he can make the step up. Being the star player in a Championship side is impressive, but such exploits are difficult to replicate in the division above. Previous examples such as Harvey Barnes and Ben Chilwell show that some time may be necessary for KDH to get up to full speed. All the signs however point to a player who can make a positive impact, with KDH possessing courage in line with Khun Vichai’s vision that “our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them”.