Newcastle United are apparently closing in on a permanent move for long-held target: View

Everton are sponsored by an online casino in the shape of Stake.com but the Blues face quite the gamble when it comes to deciding whether they ‘stick or twist’ over Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Quite simply, the England international striker is the main source of goals in an already spartan Sean Dyche squad which is not exactly overly blessed with prolific scorers. Despite enduring a 23-game drought in 2023/24, he still finished top scorer with nine goals in the same campaign in which he became just the fourth player in the competition’s 32-year history to find the net 50 times in the Premier League for the club.

Whisper it quietly but after some of the most-turbulent times in the entire existence of Everton, with 2022/23 bringing their lowest-ever equivalent points total and then last terms bringing two separate points deductions, the mood music seems to be changing to a more cheerful tune this summer ahead of what will be the final season for Goodison Park.

Even though Dyche’s men endured the Blues’ longest-ever winless streak in the Premier League, for the first time since crowds returned en masse following the global coronavirus pandemic, Everton went into May with their top flight status secured and they would have finished level on points with 11th placed Brighton & Hove Albion if it wasn’t for their sporting sanctions. A big part of that improvement was keeping Calvert-Lewin fit though.

Restricted to just 18 outings in both of his previous two seasons, the Sheffield-born player underwent what he described as a “factory reset” last summer after Dyche vowed to leave no stone left unturned when it came to curing Calvert-Lewin’s long-standing fitness issues. The plan worked and regardless of the vagaries of form, the striker made 39 appearances.

If you look at Everton’s alternatives up front though, they do not fill you with confidence. Although he is a hard worker and likeable character, other than the chaos factor that he brings, Beto still looks awfully raw for a £25.8million striker who hit double figures in back-to-back campaigns in Serie A while his Portuguese compatriot Youssef Chermiti is barely out of his teens and after failing to find the net in 20 mostly cameo outings for the Blues to date, remains very much a work in progress.

You wouldn’t want to pin your hopes on either by taking a risky punt on them coming good in time for The Grand Old Lady’s swansong. There may well be brighter times on the horizon under the potential ownership of Dan Friedkin and the move to the new stadium next year but Everton just need to make sure they arrive at their 52,888 capacity future home on the banks of the Mersey intact as a Premier League club.

With very little money to play with until the takeover situation is resolved, the chances of being able to acquire another frontman of Calvert-Lewin’s calibre appears remote. The ECHO understands there is some interest in the player but that’s it at the moment and even with Newcastle United pushing forward with their attempts to land his signature although the Magpies would have to sell before they buy.

If Everton cannot convince their number nine to pen new terms though, it may well be a prudent move to risk losing a player they paid just £1.5million for in 2017 for nothing if he becomes a free agent in the summer of 2025 rather than cashing in on him now for what is unlikely to be full market value anyway. The Blues are delicately poised on the cusp of a revival but for all their continued PSR challenges, they don’t want to play Russian roulette with their Premier League status just to get a quick buck because they could end up losing a whole lot more.