Everton’s striker woes have been well established, with neither Beto nor Thierno Barry looking like world beaters on a team that has shown vast amounts of improvement.
The same could be said for Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who has been bashed by Leeds fans ever since he signed as a free agent. He’s only scored one goal in six matches for Leeds in all competitions, and his lack of scoring isn’t due to a lack of opportunities.
DCL’s time at Leeds so far can be perfectly encapsulated by his performance in the EFL Cup against Sheffield Wednesday. He missed three open opportunities in the last minutes of extra time and missed a penalty in the shootout, which guaranteed their loss against a lower league side. Fans on X were quick to criticize the former Toffee’s performance, which was not surprising in the slightest.
His performance was one that didn’t need any statistical background to prove that it was bad. According to Sofascore, DCL had a 5.3 match rating, the lowest out of any player. He missed four clear chances, and he only had nine touches.
Even though DCL’s play at Leeds has been atrocious, it must be tempting for Everton fans to wonder if bringing back DCL would have been better than playing a combination of Beto and Barry, considering that neither of them has fared much better.
In the long run, however, it is clear that investing in a player like Barry could bear more fruit than extending a player whose career has taken a nose dive.