Sean Dyche gets Youssef Chermiti boost after Everton striker’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin 2.0 arrival
Sean Dyche looks to have got the ideal result from Youssef Chermiti’s match-winning appearance for the Everton under-21s on Tuesday night.
Liverpool Echo journalist Chris Beesley said on 8 November “there’s something of the young Dominic Calvert-Lewin” of the youngster after he netted a late winner in the EFL Trophy game against Mansfield Town the night before, suggesting the “prodigious talent” should have been developing for the age group side since his arrival in the summer.
The 19-year-old reportedly added an “extra dimension” to Paul Tait’s front line, and while he shares similarities with the Toffees’ other striker Beto, as a six-foot-four inch Portuguese front man who was signed this summer, it is Calvert-Lewin he was said to resemble more on the pitch.
The £15million teenager has only seen a handful of minutes under Sean Dyche in the first-team as he has so far been considered a development project, with £25.8m Beto, 25, the senior addition brought in with a view to contribute straight away.
Calvert-Lewin has also been fit for far more action this term than in recent seasons, but Chermiti’s early signs have apparently provided hope that he might start to emulate his 50-Premier-League-goal teammate.
Dyche has managed to put something together in the first-team where results are more frequently positive than negative at present, while the teenage signing hasn’t got much of a look in, but in dropping down a level to play a full game he has provided the perfect response by proving the difference.
Calvert-Lewin’s form has been a huge part of the improved fortunes this season so anything like a heir-apparent emerging can only be a good thing for the Everton boss.
It is very early days for Chermiti but if he has turned out for the under-21s, caught the eye, and then scored a late winning goal off the penalty spot it, is a likely way to convince his first-team manager that he is an option worth considering for more work sooner rather than later.
Finally Dyche has options up front with Calvert-Lewin fit and on form, leading Beto to not be required anywhere near as much as he might have been over the past two seasons, and a youngster showing potential.
Agreeing to spend millions on Chermiti this summer despite a tight financial situation when he was so inexperienced was somewhat of a surprise, especially when there were no guarantees on Calvert-Lewin and far more seasoned players have wilted under the pressure around Goodison Park of late.
But if the youngster can build on a positive night this week, and continue to exhibit shades of his star teammate, then it could prove to be a smart move to snap him up ahead of time while Everton still had a shout.
In other Everton news, Stan Collymore has issued an “incredibly worrying” reaction to recent news on the club’s takeover, claiming the fans will “cry when it goes belly up”.