Everton should move on from Dominic Calvert-Lewin this summer – Three players Sean Dyche could sign to replace him
Everton have enjoyed a stark renaissance under Sean Dyche, with the club now up to 15th in the Premier League table.
Survival will be at the forefront of the club’s ambitions in the coming weeks, however, club director Kevin Thelwell will have one eye firmly on the summer transfer window and should find a long-term replacement for the injury-prone Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
Time after time this season, the England international has been absent from first-team selection due to a rotten run of injuries, and it is surely now time the Toffees face the harsh truth that the forward cannot cope with the physicalities of the English top flight.
The England international has managed to get himself fit enough to feature for just 735 minutes of Premier League action this season – 11 appearances – and has been stuck to the Goodison Park medical table for the last six outings.
And for that reason, the club should be scouting some replacements. Here at Goodison News, we identify three ideal striker targets who could come in and provide the club with the goals they need to improve next season.
Moussa Dembele
Lyon striker Moussa Dembele was linked with a January move to the Toffees and this is one we could certainly see happening in the summer if the club finally get their act together in their recruitment.
The latest reports to emerge now suggest the 26-year-old will “definitely” leave the Ligue 1 at the end of the season. Sky Sports Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg revealed (via Twitter, 21 March) Dembele, who is on £50,000-a-week, will depart, with there being strong interest from England, Italy and Germany.
The Frenchman is a proven goalscorer. Despite his not-so-good form this season, he does hold an impressive record at Lyon with 70 goals scored in 169 appearances for the Ligue 1 side. Dembele also has some Premier League experience under his belt, having played two games for Fulham back in his early days.
Strong, deceptively sharp in and around the box, with great aerial presence and a fantastic outlet as a target man, Dembele possesses all the hallmarks of a pure Dyche-striker and the former Burnley manager will surely be urging Thelwell to have a go at recruiting him this summer.
Iliman Ndiaye
The Sky Bet Championship goal-getter has become something of a cult hero at Bramall Lane with 12 goals to his name so far this season as the Blades look to secure automatic promotion back to the Premier League.
The Sunday Mirror [12 March] claimed the Toffees, are all keeping tabs on the versatile forward who proved the Blades’ “goalscoring hero” in their FA Cup win over Tottenham on 1 March.
The Star also reported on 31 January that the Toffees made a last-ditch attempt to sign Sheffield United star Ndiaye in a deal worth around £25m+ add-ons, and given the potential war chest available to the Toffees after the sales of Anthony Gordon, Moise Kean and Richarlison this season, Ndiaye represents a perfect £20m+ coup.
The 23-year-old has already proven he can deliver against one of the English top flight’s elite after his winner against Spurs in the FA Cup.
Ndiaye is surely set for Premier League stardom in the future and is the type of forward the Toffees should be targeting, given his telling quality, and unpredictability in the final third.
His 12 goals and seven assists in a fruitful and influential 2022/23 campaign show Ndiaye is ready for the step up in his career and the Toffees should certainly have enough in the bank to make him their top target this summer.
Viktor Gyökeres
One of the most sought-after strikers in the Championship right now. Gyokeres is a player on an upward trajectory given his sensational goalscoring record for Midlands side Coventry City.
The Toffees were interested in signing him during the January window, according to TEAMtalk [21 February], but face competition from the likes of Leeds United and Bournemouth.
Gyokeres has admitted that he was never close to leaving the club in the January window, but the club told him he can find his own way next summer.
It means there could be an opportunity for Everton to sign him if the player decides to move on and in his last two campaigns in the Sky Bet Championship, the Swedish hitman has registered a phenomenal 35 goals. This season, he’s managed 18 goals in 38 outings and is certainly ready for the step up this season.
Gyokeres will enter the final 12 months in his contract after the end of the season, and Coventry could be willing to cash in. An absolute must-have for Dyche and the club.