Frank Lampard will block Dominic Calvert-Lewin Everton exit
Frank Lampard will block Dominic Calvert-Lewin from leaving Everton in January as he wants to build the team around him, says The Daily Star.
The former Chelsea boss is expected to be confirmed as Rafael Benitez’s successor imminently (Liverpool Echo), and he has reportedly made an influence on the final hours of the transfer window before he is officially the manager.
The Daily Mail had previously suggested West Ham wanted the forward, and The Mirror said that Arsenal would focus on him if they failed in their pursuit of Dusan Vlahovic who has just signed for Juventus.
But that will apparently not be happening thanks to the intervention of the incoming head coach.
The Star report: “The incoming Goodison Park chief is a massive admirer of the England striker and has already made it clear to the club’s hierarchy that he must not be sold.
“During his interview for the job, Lampard revealed his intention is to build the team around powerhouse Calvert-Lewin.”
Finally some control
It has been nothing but bad news this month when Everton fans have checked the latest reports, but finally some order appears to be getting restored.
The painful and messy manager search dragged on far too long, suggesting it only really started once Farhad Moshiri changed his mind and got rid of Benitez, but with former England star Lampard now apparently incoming fans will be hoping to put the last few weeks behind them.
Clubs were beginning to circle like vultures as the disfunction at Goodison continued, hoping to pick the bones of the best bits, and the Three Lions forward was drawing most of the interest.
But Lampard has made it clear that he sees the number nine as a key part of his plans so finally it feels like there is someone in position to protect the club’s interests.
The new manager’s history at Chelsea should be particularly encouraging when it comes to the striker as it was the ex-Stamford Bridge hero who was a big part of the development of Tammy Abraham.
Another tall English front man, Abraham was subsequently sold to Roma after Lampard was sacked, and is scoring plenty of goals in Italy, but without the influence of his former manager it is unlikely he would have developed that far.
Calvert-Lewin was already ahead of his fellow forward’s level so hope will be high for him to kick on under the guidance of his new boss.
In other Everton news, this PL star has reportedly decided to make the move to Goodison this month.