Everton: Alan Brazil and Ray Parlour crash live on air over Dominic Calvert-Lewin in Arsenal transfer verdict
Alan Brazil and Ray Parlour have clashed live on air over Dominic Calvert-Lewin, with Parlour suggesting Everton should allow the striker to leave in the summer.
Calvert-Lewin has had a difficult start to the season having maintained his fitness, only managing to score three goals in 18 Premier League games, but Brazil believes he would solve Arsenal’s current striker problem.
The talkSPORT host has urged the Gunners to take advantage of the fact that the Toffees are “skint” and sign the 26-year-old this month, but Parlour believes Everton need him to avoid relegation from the Premier League.
Speaking on talkSPORT (12 January, 9:10) he said: “Everton can’t afford to sell Calvert-Lewin, they’ll be even more skint if they go down won’t they? They’ll have more chance of staying up with Calvert-Lewin in their side than not in their side.”
Brazil quickly hit back saying: “Everton are skint. They could go down anyway, I don’t think they will by the way. What if he wants to move? What if he wants to come to London and play for Arsenal?”
Parlur replied saying: “Do you know what I’d say if I was Everton? I would say you can move but not yet, in the summer. I know Arsenal need someone now, but there’s nobody available.”
Not yet
Calvert-Lewin has been nowhere near his prolific best so far this season, but the 26-year-old is still an integral part of Sean Dyche’s team at Everton and the Toffees tend to look much better when he is on the playing field.
The 10-point deduction at Goodison Park has ensured that Everton remain well and truly in the midst of a relegation battle and they need to get back to winning ways sooner rather than later if they want to avoid the drop to the Championship this season.
Dyche cannot afford to lose Calvert-Lewin as explained by Parlour and if the striker was desperate to leave Goodison this month, the Toffees would have to fight to delay his exit until the end of the season and the summer transfer window.
It remains to be seen if Arsenal even have any genuine interest in the Everton forward anyway, or whether this is just a transfer made up in the mind of Brazil. Either way, the Toffees will look to keep Calvert-Lewin beyond the end of January.
In other Everton news, Matt Slater has shared an update on 777 Partners’ wait for Premier League approval