Dominic Calvert-Lewin celebrates against Liverpool
Everton are eyeing up a fresh face to lead their line for the new Premier League season, according to a recent report.
Toffees yet to settle on a striker
Goalscoring has been one of Everton’s achilles heels for several seasons now, and despite their efforts to address it every season Sean Dyche seems unable to find a solution as of yet.
Their 40 goals scored across the 2023-24 campaign was the second worst in the division with only Sheffield United managing fewer, while expected goals suggested that the Toffees scored 20 fewer than they should have according to the model.
No one has managed more than seven Premier League goals in an Everton shirt in a single season since Richarlison’s departure two years ago, and the Brazilian was the only one to hit double figures in his final term at Goodison Park.
The injury-prone Dominic Calvert-Lewin has not managed 10 or more since the 2020-21 season, in which he scored 16 times, more than he has in the three seasons since.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s struggles for fitness and goals
2020-21
2021-22
2022-23
2023-24
Appearances
33
17
17
32
Minutes played
2876
1287
1175
2186
Goals
16
5
2
7
Minutes per goal
180
257
588
312
Beto was signed last summer, but he failed to have an impact and started just nine Premier League games, while Youssef Chermiti remains a work in progress.
This summer, they have already made one move to sign a new striker, with Iliman Ndiaye arriving from Marseille after a tough season in Ligue 1, where he found the net four times for the French outfit. But now, reports claim that they could be set to move for a more natural goalscorer.
Toffees among sides interested in PL outcast
That comes with Everton named as one of the sides in the running to sign Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah this summer. The England international struggled for game time at the Emirates Stadium last season, starting just ten games but failing to be named in a starting XI in 2024.
Despite this, he found the net on five occasions, including a hat-trick against Sheffield United, and Mikel Arteta spoke highly of the 25-year-old Englishman.
Eddie-nketiah-arsenal-hattrick
“Well to me he is top level,” Arteta said via arsenal.com. “He’s started nine out of our ten Premier League games, so that tells you how much we trust him and the importance he has in the team. I’m really happy for him, an academy player to experience a Premier League hat-trick. He needs to enjoy the moment, he fully deserves it, and hopefully there are many more to come.”
Despite this praise, his time in north London appears to be over, with Arsenal ready to let him leave this summer should someone meet his £50m price tag amid interest from the Premier League and abroad.
As per CaughtOffside, Everton are one of five Premier League sides keen on the Englishman, though his future could well be tied to that of Calvert-Lewin amid previous interest in the ex-Sheffield United man from Newcastle United.
They suggest that a fee closer to 40m euros (£33m) may be more accurate for Nketiah, which is the same fee as Joshua Zirkzee is moving to Manchester United for.
For Everton, there may well be more pressing areas of need, but Nketiah’s impressive goal record could be a tempting option for a side that notoriously struggles to find the back of the net.
