It would be unfair to expect Sean Dyche to turn Everton’s season toward the limelight with the aroma of a free-attacking, awe-inspiring brand. This is not his brand. This is hardly realistic.
But even so, concerns regarding Everton’s prosaic play are justly voiced. Dyche was appointed to lead the Toffees away from the pit of the Premier League. And he did that. But this cyclical pattern of performance has led the squad back to a point of struggle.
Last season, Everton comfortably avoided relegation despite being hit with an eight-point deduction for financial breaches. Presently, the Merseyside outfit ride a run of form that has seen one top-flight defeat across seven outings, but the concerns remain all the same.
It would be unfair to expect Dyche to shape Everton into a free-flowing offensive force, but it is absolutely fair to want more. Things are colourless, and the drop zone sits like mould in a corner, ever-threatening to spread.
Dyche, to be sure, isn’t being helped by his number nine. Dominic Calvert-Lewin isn’t hitting his a-game by half, and the end may well be near for the 27-year-old.
The end is near for Dominic Calvert-Lewin
Calvert-Lewin feels like an immovable part of Goodison Park, but then Goodison Park is soon to be no more and Everton must shift with the times. The 27-year-old’s fitness levels have been revivified but he’s posted only two goals and one assist across 11 Premier League matches this season.
For an outfit struggling for goals, this is a concern. Oh sure, Everton’s 16 big chances created in the Premier League this term put them 19th in said playmaking rankings, but he’s still failing to assert himself.
Suppose, then, that the 6 foot 3 striker becomes a free agent at the end of his contract next June. Would that be such a detrimental blow to the future success of a football club already stepping into a period of significant change?
2024/25
11 (11)
2
1
2023/24
32 (26)
7
2
2022/23
17 (15)
2
1
2021/22
17 (15)
5
2
2020/21
33 (32)
16
1
2019/20
36 (30)
13
1
2018/19
35 (19)
6
2
2017/18
32 (18)
4
5
2016/17
11 (5)
1
0
Perhaps it is time to make some big changes. There is hope that Armando Broja is nearing a comeback from the injury that has ruled him out since he signed for the Merseysiders on a one-year loan (with an option for purchase in 2025). Beto is also showing signs of improvement this year.
Those close to the cultural pulse of the Blue half of Liverpool would tell you that Everton’s identity is strictly interwoven with youth development. As such, maybe the search for a Calvert-Lewin successor need not be swept across football’s vast landscape.
Perhaps, there’s a homemade option at Finch Farm just waiting to explode.
Meet Everton's next Wayne Rooney
Earlier in November, 17-year-old prospect Braiden Graham signed his first professional contract with Everton, having been riding the crest of a wave at youth level.
The Northern Irish ace, who joined the Merseysiders this summer after previously breaking into Linfield’s first team in his homeland, is touted for big things alright, with one reporter claiming that “he looks like a future star” after seeing him in Blues U18 action.
Linfield boss David Healy has also waxed lyrical over his former talent, saying: “He’s brave and he’s ‘goals, goals, goals’, he prowls in and around and he’s a deadly finisher.”
Healy’s words have been corroborated by the youngster’s on-pitch performance, with six goals scored across his first seven matches in the U18 Premier League – ahead of Calvert-Lewin’s first-team total. Whisper it quietly, but Everton might have their finest young forward emerging since Wayne Rooney.
Rooney definitely needs no introduction (but here’s one anyway). The legendary English striker, now managing Plymouth Argyle, made an unforgettable entrance to the major stage with the Goodison Park side.
Stocky and as powerful as an ox, Rooney belied his tender age when breaking into Everton’s development ranks aged just 15. Of course, he made his senior debut as a 16-year-old, scoring against Arsenal in 2002 to become the club’s second-youngest-ever goalscorer.
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, but Graham definitely has the quality to become an Everton mainstay in the years to come. He’s been acknowledged for his sinewy frame and athletic sheen, and could indeed be the galvanising force to tunnel from the youth depths and into the limelight.
Further to the point, Graham is displaying positional flexibility that holds echoes of Rooney’s iconic dynamism. Youngsters often take some time to find their feet and establish themselves in one role or another, but the invariable attacking success suggests that he has that inborn footballing intellect to mirror Rooney’s – a genius on the pitch.
Centre-forward
2
2
0
Right winger
2
1
0
Left winger
1
1
1
Second striker
1
0
0
Attacking midfield
1
2
0
He’s a real player, one who might just find himself revelling in the success of a starring role at Everton. A new era. Calvert-Lewin has been a great servant, but perhaps it’s time for him to move on. With Broja and Beto already in the ranks, Graham can take tentative steps into the big league before letting all of English football know his name.
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