Everton’s season has been one of progress. Eighth in the table, genuine talk of European qualification, a new stadium settling into Premier League life. But for all the positives, one familiar problem persists: goals.
Thierno Barry and Beto have shared the centre-forward duties this campaign. Between them, they have managed nine Premier League goals. It is not a disastrous return, but it is not enough to transform a good side into a dangerous one. And when you look at how well one former Everton player is doing elsewhere as Everton looks for goals ahead, the question inevitably arises. Did the club let the wrong one go?
Kilbane on Calvert-Lewin’s departure
Dominic Calvert-Lewin left Everton last summer when his contract expired. The decision was not taken lightly. He had spent nine seasons with Everton, scoring 57 goals in 239 appearances in all competitions, but his final seasons were plagued by injuries that limited his availability and effectiveness.
Speaking to Best Betting Bonuses, former Everton winger Kevin Kilbane acknowledged the frustration of watching Calvert-Lewin thrive at Leeds United.
“Yes, they will be frustrated with letting him go in terms of what he’s done,” Kilbane said. “You look at the way that he’s left, you look at the goals that he’s scored this season and Everton, they’ve needed that. That’s the one missing piece from Everton, a consistent number nine that’s been scoring for them.”
Calvert-Lewin’s numbers this season make the point emphatically. In 24 appearances for Leeds, he has scored 10 goals from an Expected Goals (xG) of 9.64, suggesting his finishing has been exactly what you would expect from a Premier League striker. He averages two shots per game, puts one on target, and has created two big chances for teammates. At 28, he looks every bit the striker Everton hoped he would become.
Reality of Calvert-Lewin’s Injuries
But Kilbane was careful to contextualise the decision. Everton did not choose to let Calvert-Lewin go because they doubted his ability. They chose to let him go because they could not justify committing significant wages to a player whose body had repeatedly let him down.
“But you’ve got to look at it for what it is, and look at his last few years at Everton with the injury problems he had,” Kilbane explained. “I don’t think Everton could have justified the position that they were in to extend that contract. Everything’s great in hindsight.”
He added: “I was probably in favour of the decision when it happened at the time, simply because I don’t think that with that record of injuries that they could have justified extending the contract the way that it was supposed to have happened.”
There is also the psychological factor. Players who leave on a free often carry a point to prove. Calvert-Lewin fits that profile perfectly. “It’s just the reality of the game that a player’s playing with a little bit of a chip on their shoulder as well, trying to prove the point that because a club didn’t give them the contract, then they’ve got to go and prove it.”
Everton made the sensible decision at the time. That does not make watching him flourish elsewhere any easier as he continues racking up goals for Leeds United.
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