Dele Everton career still on hold as Toffees desperately need more attacking threat

The Everton manager was speaking about the ex-England international and admitted that he is still a long way for being fit enough to return to the team.

This won't be a worry for many if not most Evertonians, as the player who was signed on deadline day in January 2022 hasn't exactly set the Premier League alight since making the move to Merseyside.

He arrived as a marquee signing of then newly installed manager Frank Lampard who had only taken the reins at Goodison Park earlier that month.

But it was a controversial deal given his poor recent form and the Toffees had to agree a carefully structured payment process that depended on appearances meaning that the player had to make a certain number of matches before the full fee would be applicable.

He didn't make much impression early on and failed to cement a place in the side despite the obvious need for more attacking and goalscoring threat.

The only notable contribution he made was when he came on as a substitute against Crystal Palace in the penultimate game of that 2022-23 campaign.

Everton were two down and Dele made a decisive difference helping the Blues recover and eventually win 3-2 to ultimately secure Premier League survival, again.

However, it proved to be a very short-lived revivial in the career of a player who had fallen away badly from the heights he had hit in the early days of his time at Tottenham and with England.

In the end he went on loan to Besiktas in Turkey but made no impression there either and the Turkish club cut it short after he picked up an injury.

He returned to Meseyside with a new manager installed at Goodison Park as Dyche had succeeded Lampard.

Dyche has been in no hurry to bring Dele back into the team, as indeed was the case with other more important players like Dominic Calvert-Lewin when he had his latest injury problem.

Indeed, it is unlikely that Dele will ever make a return to Everton's team as he doesn't seem the type of player the current manager is particularly keen on, given his past history.

There is also the very real issue of the additional money that would have to be paid to Spurs were he to return and make the seven further appearances which would trigger that payment.

But, having said all that, the Blues do desperately need more attacking threat and goals. Perhaps Dyche might finally be prepared to turn to other young talents to overcome this issue.