Everton transfer news: Isaac Price responds to Dominic Calvert-Lewin ‘skinny’ joke as he exits from Goodison Park
Isaac Price has responded to Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s “skinny” joke in his farewell message as the youngster leaves Everton for Standard Liege.
The 19-year-old midfielder is heading to Belgium as his contract expires after struggling for game time at Goodison Park, with compensation due in return.
Notable Toffees fan Tony Bellew “can’t believe” the club have let him go, but a number of now-former teammates wished him luck and Calvert-Lewin couldn’t resist a good-natured dig at Price on his way out.
The Everton number nine posted a comment on Price’s departure message on Instagram, with a photo of him as a child signing his contract next to former manager David Moyes, writing: “Good luck skinny man, hopefully they have a gym over there!”
The teenager replied: “Fingers crossed cause I need it”.
Wasn’t to be
Price leaves with three senior Everton appearances to his name, when in happier circumstances around the club in recent seasons he might have been brought through more sustainably.
Frank Lampard was impressed with him during the World Cup break in Australia, but the former manager wasn’t in charge for much longer after giving the youngster his longest senior outing off the bench in the new year.
Such is the turnover of managers in the past two years, with Rafael Benitez replacing Carlo Ancelotti, who then made way for Lampard to come and go before Sean Dyche took over, it is particularly tricky for those attempting to make the breakthrough to get sustained traction with any one man.
It hasn’t worked out on Merseyside for Price, but he is clearly a popular player at Finch Farm as plenty of teammates commented on his Instagram post.
Some of the best players in world football were considered too small or too skinny as teenagers, so if Price does end up being the next Luka Modric it will prove to be pretty painful that Everton let him go.
Calvert-Lewin himself might be wondering what the facilities could do for him at another club as the star striker simply cannot stay fit at Everton currently, despite endless work on his part and Dyche playing an “absolute blinder” in not rushing him back into the team during the relegation battle.
If the summer off can help him build up the strength he needs to stay in the line up next season it will be a massive boost to his manager’s plans.