Everton may be ready to offer new deal to Calvert-Lewin

Stories in the media claim that Everton might be prepared to offer Dominic Calvert-Lewin a new deal so heading off a potential transfer of the England striker.

Calvert-Lewin’s future has been a constant talking point for nearly a year now and there have been repeated rumours he might leave Everton this summer.

So far nothing has come of this and Calvert-Lewin is still at Goodison Park as the players return to training and ready themselves for a pre-season trip to the USA.

In addition, with Richarlison leaving for Tottenham just recently, it would seem as though Calvert-Lewin will probably stay, at least for another year as the pressure is off the club financially, at elast to some extent.

The Toffees’ are it seems now ready to tie the England centre-forward to a new deal to ensure that even if he does leave in the future it will ensure a big fee would be required to prise him away.

I’ve said before that I would have been inclined to sell DCL if a reasonably large fee was put on the table from a rival club.

This was because I thought his particular strengths and attributes weren’t necessarily exactly right for the Blues’ if the team was to transition into a more modern team playing a flexible and fluid tactical approach.

Calvert-Lewin’s qualities make him a lot like a classic, traditional centre-forward who can hold the ball up, is good in the air and thrives on getting on the end of lots of crosses and balls into the box.

That is all fine, however it does sometimes make the team play in a more rigid and one-dimensional way with a lack of subtle variation and a tendancy especially when under pressure, to play too many long hopeful balls thus conceding possession too cheaply.

I’m not convinced that’s the best way forward for Everton and so I was of the view that perhaps it would be better for the team to shift to a more fluid attack. However, that was dependent on keeping Richarlison.

In addition, there is the fact that he has also suffered a number of injuries and particularly last season that kept him out for the majority of the campaign.

Well, now it appears that the club and manager Frank Lampard is looking to build his new-look attack for the long-term around the Yorkshireman.

This might also fit in with why the Toffees’ are keen on adding a player like Morgan Gibbs-White who has been heavily linked with a move to Merseyside.

The Wolves youngster is player who can play in a wide attacking position and perhaps provide the kind of supply that Calvert-Lewin enjoys.

This is also the case for a player like Nathan Patterson. Everton supporters haven’t seen the young Scot yet turn out for the first-team as he was of course injured last season literally minutes before he was due to make his debut late last season.

He is a talented full-back who’s strengths include his ability to cross the ball and provide the sort of service needed.