1190 Kieran Dowell

Biography

Attacking midfielder Kieran Dowell joined the Tigers in January 2026 after the termination of his contract at Glasgow Rangers and quickly made his way into the first team squad, scoring his first City goal against Bristol City in February 2026.

Kieran O’Neill Dowell was born in Lancashire market town Ormskirk and joined the Everton academy when he was seven years old. he progressed through the age bands and signed on scholarship terms in June 2014. His progress was rapid, he played regularly for the Toffees’ Under-21 side during the 2014/15 season and made his senior debut in December 2014 when starting a Europa League group stage tie against Russian side FK Krasnodar. He signed his first professional contract with Everton in March 2015.

Dowell continued to score regularly for Everton’s Under-21 side during the 2015/16 season, an April 2016 hattrick against Leicester City’s youngsters prompted a call-up to the Toffees’ first team and he made his Premier League debut for Everton that same month against Bournemouth. The 2016/17 season saw Kieran play a prominent role in Everton’s Under-23 side lift the Premier League 2 title, but he was unable to force his way into the club’s first team plans as he approached his twentieth birthday.

In August 2017 Dowell joined Championship side Nottingham Forest on a season long loan. He made his Forest debut against Millwall in August 2017 and scored his first goal a week later against Brentford. In October 2017 he netted a hattrick against Hull City and in January 2018 he scored one goal and created another as the Tricky Trees beat Premier League side Arsenal in the FA Cup. However by April 2018 Forest were struggling for form under new manager Aitor Karanka and Dowell was withdrawn from first team action – he scored ten goals in 43 appearances.

Dowell remained at Everton during the opening months of the 2018/19 season, making two appearances in the League Cup against Rotherham United and Southampton that took his tally for the Toffees to 5 appearances – these two matches were Dowell’s last senior appearances for Everton. In January 2019 Kieran joined Championship title challengers Sheffield United on a half season loan – after debuting in January 2019 against Queens Park Rangers and scoring his first goal against West Bromwich Albion in February 2019 he ended the season with two goals in 17 appearances as the Blades won promotion to the Premier League.

Kieran was on the move once more during the 2019/20 season, joining Championship side Derby County on loan in July 2019. After his August 2019 debut for the Rams against Huddersfield Town Kieran was mostly confined to substitute duties and in January 2020 his loan was cut short after 10 appearances. A few days later he joined Championship side Wigan Athletic on a half season loan that was extended by the COVID19 pandemic, his January 2020 debut against Bristol City was followed by his first goal Stoke City in June 2020 and a hurtful July 2020 hattrick against Hull City that did much to confirm the Tigers’ relegation to League One. Dowell scored five goals in 13 appearances for Wigan Athletic, becoming the first player in the 21st century to score two hattricks against Hull City.

In July 2020 Dowell Championship side Norwich City paid £1.5 million to sign Dowell on a three year contract. He pleased the Canaries fans by scoring on his September 2020 debut in the League Cup against Luton Town before missing three months with an ankle injury. He found his way back into the first eleven in the closing weeks of the season, netting five times as Norwich City claimed the Championship title. Dowell was a peripheral figure as Norwich struggled to compete in the top flight, though he did score his first Premier League goal in April 2022 against Manchester United as the Canaries ended the season at the bottom of the table. He was used more regularly during the 2022/23 campaign as Norwich consolidated their Championship status, though his season was ended early in February 2023 after sustaining an ankle injury. Dowell left Norwich City in June 2023 having scored twelve goals in 75 appearances.

In July 2023 Kieran joined Scottish Premiership side Glasgow Rangers, making his August 2023 debut against Kilmarnock and scoring his first goal a week later against Livingston. Injuries sidelined Dowell for much of the 2023/24 season but he was an unused substitute when Rangers reached the May 2024 Scottish Cup final that saw them defeated by fierce rivals Glasgow Celtic. Kieran remained on the edges of the Rangers first team during the first half of the 2024/25 season and in January 2025 he joined League One title challengers Birmingham City on loan, scoring five goals in 23 appearances as the Blues lifted the League One title and reached the April 2025 EFL Trophy final only to lose to Peterborough United – Dowell played the whole of this Wembley Stadium final. Dowell was again on the fringes of the Rangers first team during the early months of the 2025/26 season and made his last appearance for the club in January 2026, scoring in a Scottish Cup tie against Annan Athletic. He left Rangers a few days later having scored four goals for the club in 40 appearances.

Dowell was first recognised on the international stage in September 2012, when he played for England Under-16s against Northern Ireland, two weeks before his fifteenth birthday. In August 2013 he rose to the Under-17 side, making his debut against Portugal and playing in the February 2014 U17 Algarve Tournament, which took his tally at that level to 6 appearances. In the 2014/15 season Kieran was promoted to the England Under-18 squad, making his debut against Italy in September 2014 and adding a second appearance against Russia in June 2015.

In September 2016 Dowell returned to the international fold when he made his England Under-20 debut against Brazil, during the 2016/17 season he compiled 16 appearances that peaked when starting all seven ties and scoring in the group stage against South Korea as England won the U20 World Cup hosted by South Korea, defeating Venezuela in the June 2017 final. In September 2017 Dowell made his debut for England Under-21s against Netherlands and he was a regular throughout the next two seasons, netting two goals in 16 appearances as his side reached the 2019 Under-21 Euros finals hosted by Italy and San Marino.

Details

Nationality: England
Date/Place of Birth: 10 October 1997, Ormskirk
Hull City First Game: 24 January 2026, Swansea City H (Championship), 28 years, 106 days old
Hull City Final Game: [current player]

Clubs

Everton (2014-2020), Nottingham Forest (2017-2018, loan), Sheffield United (2019, loan), Derby County (2019-2020, loan), Wigan Athletic (2020, loan), Norwich City (2020-2023), Glasgow Rangers (2023-2026), Birmingham City (2025, loan), Hull City (2026-current)

Hull City Record

Career: 12 apps, 1 goals