Dominic Calvert-Lewin watch

[Efcjake]

Again, you have to consider what the alternative is.

You have to replace him, and as our signings over the past decade have shown - it's not easy. You talk £100k a week, I was saying pay him it because it beats paying £15m for Sportings 4th (or 5th?) choice striker, and we had Beto FFS. Appreciate you thought Beto would score 15+ this season, but he's never good enough. I wasn't confident in our ability to replace him, especially considering the amount we had to sign.



He declined the offer we made under Dyche - because the club was a basketcase and he didnt like his role in Dyche's team.

We pulled the same offer we left on the table when Moyes come in - the assumption is simply, Moyes didn't want him. If Everton wanted to keep him, we'd have met his demands and he'd still be an Everton player.

Lets hope time proves the club correct - Calvert-Lewin could pull up next game, and Barry finds his feet.

There it is.

He turned us down and then tried to come back to the table after acting Billy Big Bollocks for 18 months with us.

 

[pfim]

Indeed. For years I defended the lad, saying we were letting him down and he'd do well elsewhere. Took a lot of flak for saying he'd score double figures at most teams in the league, and how he wasn't solely responsible for us routinely bottom 5 goals scored in the league.

Now I'm collecting my dividends.

Here's the thing, he'd be struggling at us now if he stayed. There's a reason we don't score many goals, and it's not as simple as crap strikers - though it plays a part. With Calvert-Lewin though, I knew he could score goals in the Prem - not sure Barry can.

I feel differently about the last part. When we play the way we do with Grealish and KDH, I think that suits him very well.

That doesn't mean I expected him to stay, I truly don't believe there was a path forward there and frankly if Everton paid him what he wanted, it would have been panned mercilously.

 

[GrandOldTeam]

There it is.

He turned us down and then tried to come back to the table after acting Billy Big Bollocks for 18 months with us.

Ultimately though, it come down to the club deciding to let him go.

They withdrew the offer, and wouldn't meet his demands. They could have done, easily - but chose against it.

He was always going to get what he wanted elsewhere, so why stay at Everton on less money?

 

[kenada_blue]

No doubt.

Equally if we'd paid him what Leeds did, he would be.

But shrouded in secrecy what hes been paid at leeds isnt it? £100k a week or incentives?

Anyway, more than we offered

 

[GrandOldTeam]

I feel differently about the last part. When we play the way we do with Grealish and KDH, I think that suits him very well.

That doesn't mean I expected him to stay, I truly don't believe there was a path forward there and frankly if Everton paid him what he wanted, it would have been panned mercilously.

Oh I agree, he'd definitely be better served now with the likes of Grealish and Dewsbury-Hall - but as I keep saying, even with those players - only Wolves have scored less than Everton this season. I've also seen Barry, and Beto top of worst performing xG, as Calvert-Lewin did when he was here.

I guess there's a reason why Moyes keeps saying Grealish needs to shoot more etc, because I dont think he has confidence in the strikers so he's wanting his midfielders to get the goals we lack.

For me, the problem we have, and have had for years now is a chronic lack of pace, and balance from wide positions. Kills strikers, particularly like Calvert-Lewin who'll never create their own goals.

To top if off, we then don't play to any strikers strength - Calvert-Lewin would be running the channels and all over for us, on a press. Silly.

Beto needs to play on the shoulder, we only did that for a spell last season.

God knows on Barry, I can't work him out.

 

[GrandOldTeam]

But shrouded in secrecy what hes been paid at leeds isnt it? £100k a week or incentives?

Anyway, more than we offered

I think we offered a fair bit below that under Dyche, then pulled it entirely when Moyes come in. The Times reported that.

I think his reps were expecting Sheff Utd to be promoted, and they had an offer which was a lot more than what we offered which was a fall back.

But yeah, I think it come down to money and ego. Not many first team players are accepting less money than they're on, especially free agents who are 27 - even Doucoure pulled a stink over it.

 

[Joey66]

7 G in 6 I believe, but yea, we shouldn't have let him go

We would not meet his wage demands - the contract was there to sign - not DMs fault - he is injury prone too .... I liked him but anyone no 9 playing under our system will struggle .....but you have to have ability ours show none even in the heading department at goal ....

 

[pfim]

Oh I agree, he'd definitely be better served now with the likes of Grealish and Dewsbury-Hall - but as I keep saying, even with those players - only Wolves have scored less than Everton this season. I've also seen Barry, and Beto top of worst performing xG, as Calvert-Lewin did when he was here.

I guess there's a reason why Moyes keeps saying Grealish needs to shoot more etc, because I dont think he has confidence in the strikers so he's wanting his midfielders to get the goals we lack.

For me, the problem we have, and have had for years now is a chronic lack of pace, and balance from wide positions. Kills strikers, particularly like Calvert-Lewin who'll never create their own goals.

To top if off, we then don't play to any strikers strength - Calvert-Lewin would be running the channels and all over for us, on a press. Silly.

Beto needs to play on the shoulder, we only did that for a spell last season.

God knows on Barry, I can't work him out.

I just think his movement in the box would suit the slower pace we play with when they're on the pitch.

We desperately need two fullbacks, it's not the panacea but it opens up the attacking side so much more.

I don't see us buying a striker in January. I just don't think you'll get any value at this point. Would love to see Ndiaye spend some time at striker honestly, I think what we need in that spot is some quickness over short distances. We have the guys to carry the ball up the pitch, having a target striker (at the expense of other abilities) seems at odds with how we are trying to play.

Barry looks more comfortable out wide. Just like Lukaku did, just like Henry did (I'm not comparing their abilities to his, at all, just giving obvious examples). They're trying to mold him into something I'm not sure he ever has been, despite his height.

 

[Bryan+]

He's making a lot of Evertonians look very stupid.

Which ones, precisely?

 

[Daytripper]

Ultimately though, it come down to the club deciding to let him go.

They withdrew the offer, and wouldn't meet his demands. They could have done, easily - but chose against it.

He was always going to get what he wanted elsewhere, so why stay at Everton on less money?

Everton made the right decision for once in my opinion. The issue is , like Lukaku, another centre forward hasn’t been replaced with a decent upgrade from what we have seen so far with Barry.

If we had recruited well jn the centre forward department this summer I doubt their would be many opinions about us missing him.

 

[Noisy noise annoys]

I understand fine that some people think it's reasonable to hand out massive wage increases to strikers who score 16 league goals in four years.

I simply disagree.

Winning headers and playing back to goal and not scoring goals isn't worth 100k a week.

The only reason the "I told you so" crowd is out is because he finally found his scoring touch again, not because of his hold up play.

Again, every manager saw his worth- I’ll take their opinion over random posters tbf

No dig btw, just an obvious situation

 

[Neiler]

Still happy we've moved on from him TBH.

We've been to this Rodeo many times ourselves we know it regresses.

 

[Efcjake]

Ultimately though, it come down to the club deciding to let him go.

They withdrew the offer, and wouldn't meet his demands. They could have done, easily - but chose against it.

He was always going to get what he wanted elsewhere, so why stay at Everton on less money?

Ultimately it came down to us refusing to engage with a lad that spent 18 months rejecting contract offers until he had a sudden change of heart a month before it expired when we had already planned to move on.

He turned us down MANY times. I don't blame the club for refusing to be dealt with like that. How many times should the club be trying to engage with him when he had repeatedly made clear he didn't want to know???

He turned down a contract in July 2024, he turned another one down before Christmas 2024. That's at least twice he jibbed us off.

We don't know what difference there was between any offer we made that he rejected and what he eventually decided to accept at the end of the window with Leeds.

Apparently he was making 100,000 a week here which is what he took from Leeds. I highly doubt we told him to take a pay cut on that on any of those offers especially when we were the ones DESPERATE to get him to sign.

 

[Efcjake]

But shrouded in secrecy what hes been paid at leeds isnt it? £100k a week or incentives?

Anyway, more than we offered

We don't know this with any certainty.

 

[Nymzee]

Love you x