Sam Allardyce showers praise on Dominic Calvert-Lewin
Sam Allardyce has suggested he would sign Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin for Premier League moneybags Newcastle United if he had the chance.
The St. James’ Park outfit will be bolstering their squad going forward after their £300million takeover, and manager Eddie Howe is likely to sign a striker soon.
Big Sam worked briefly with the England international, 24, during his spell as Toffees manager, and he reckons DCL would be perfect for the Magpies.
Using Football Manager 2021, Allardyce was given £200million to spend while in charge of Newcastle and decided to splash £38 million, plus a further £11.25 million instalments after 10 international appearances, on Calvert-Lewin.
Allardyce told SportBible while playing the latest edition of Football Manager: “During my spell at Everton, Dominic was a very young but very good talent. He played most of the time during my short period at Goodison.
“At the time he lacked experience in the Premier League to be the finisher he is today, but all that experience has stood him in good stead now.
“I think he is arguably the best header of a ball from crosses in the box and that’s a dying art. We don’t see those types of goals on a regular basis anymore and there’s nothing that thrills the fans more than a quality cross and a centre-forward coming in and heading it into the back of the net. It’s a great sight to be seen.”
Great shout
Calvert-Lewin definitely loves a header, and Rafa Benitez got two wingers during the summer transfer window to provide him with excellent crosses.
That went well as he scored three goals in his opening three appearances of the season until injury struck, and Everton have struggled to impress in his absence, winning just two of the eight league games he has missed.
There is still no date mooted for his return as the Toffees continue to sweat on his fitness, but the manager will be hoping he is back before the busy schedule during the festive period.
Calvert-Lewin bagged 16 goals in 33 league games last term, and it is only normal for Everton to miss his impact.
He has been linked with some big clubs of recent, and while a move to Newcastle will not likely happen, one to one of the bigwigs should not be ruled out.
The Blues want to become a European side, but if they do not start matching his ambitions soon, he could be tempted to jump ship.
In other Everton news, the Toffees are plotting January loan-to-buy bid for centre-mid hailed by Jack Grealish last month.
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