Neal Maupay may have played his final game for Everton amid Dominic Calvert-Lewin injury update after 3-1 loss v Fulham
Neal Maupay’s £15m transfer from Brighton to Everton last summer has been nothing short of a disaster, and the 3-1 loss to Fulham summed it up.
The French striker was named as a shock starter up front by Sean Dyche at Goodison Park, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin still not fit after a hamstring injury and Ellis Simms named on the bench.
It was only the second time since Dyche’s appointment that the Toffees have been beaten at Goodison Park, and while the result was bad news for the club’s survival hopes it surely spelled the end of Maupay’s career at the club too.
Since joining the club in the summer as the replacement for Richarlison, Maupay has made 24 appearances and found the net just once. In case you were hoping he was at least offering something else to the team, he’s managed just one assist too.
And while Everton have scored the fewest goals of any team in the division this season (24), it’s not been for a lack of creating at times.
Maupay has been on the end of seven clear-cut chances so far this season according to Sky Sports, yet his conversion rate on those chances is a big fat zero.
The chance he missed against Fulham from ten yards out when one on one is simply unforgivable in the situation we’re in. Especially when it’s supposed to be your job to put the ball in the back of the net.
His performance has surely seen him lose his chance of getting another start under Dyche, especially considering the form of Demarai Gray and performances of Ellis Simms when they’ve played there in recent weeks.
And to add to that, Dominic Calvert-Lewin is now set to be in contention for the next fixture against Crystal Palace after Dyche revealed that he has had a good week of training.
That makes Maupay the fourth-choice striker in a team that only plays with one striker and has seven games remaining this season.
The talk is that Serie A side Salernitana will return for negotiations in the summer having tried and failed to sign him in January, and that makes it a very real possibility that the Fulham loss is his final game in a blue shirt.
What a waste of money. Good riddance.