Everton have endured a torrid season thus far, and it is impossible to call whether they will be playing top-flight football in the club’s final season at Goodison Park.
Away from poor management for most of the season, there can be no doubts regarding the standard of the squad being way below the standards Evertonians expect.
A Poor Playing Squad
Whilst Frank Lampard evidently isn’t a good enough coach, the hand he was dealt in terms of his playing squad certainly didn’t help.
He’d barely managed to keep the team up in the season prior, and it could probably be argued that the team got worse overall.
Key asset and fan favourite Richarlison was sold to Spurs as he left seeking deserved Champions League football.
Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin were the only real goal threats in the 2021/22 season for the Toffees, and with the former leaving and the latter struggling constantly with injuries, it was clear to anyone within the club or watching from afar, Everton needed a goal scorer.
Everton would sign just one striker last summer, Neal Maupay. Maupay was purchased from Brighton for £12m and has so far scored just a single goal in Everton’s bid for survival.
Prior to the Blues’ shock 5-1 away thumping of Neal’s former club, Everton were the team who scored the lowest number of goals out of the entire 92 teams who make up the Premier League and Football League system.
With Maupay’s minimal output and Calvert-Lewin struggling to remain fit, Everton’s forward situation was so dire they had to recall Sunderland loanee, Ellis Simms. To his credit, he scored an important goal in a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge versus Chelsea.
In recent weeks, Sean Dyche has managed to set up in a way which sees Everton making chances on goal. Dwight McNeil and Abdoulaye Doucoure have excelled under Dyche’s tutelage and are both chipping in with important goals.
The former Burnley boss also perfectly timed the return of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, waiting patiently to start involving the 26-year-old. Whilst he doesn’t always score, he is very influential in bringing McNeil and Doucoure into the game.
Long-term, the striker can’t be relied upon to play 38 games a season, and even should he do so the Toffees are still in need of a prolific goal scorer if they wish to start climbing the table in seasons to come.
Who should Everton be looking at?
First then, a look at some of the strikers Everton could be aiming to sign. Taking into account Sean Dyche’s preference in his style of front-man, there are a few options which could be available at a reasonable price and are realistic to Everton’s current situation.
Viktor Gyokeres
Viktor Gyokeres has been pursued by Everton before in previous windows, most notably last summer – where it seems that the club instead opted for Neal Maupay.
The Swedish striker currently resides in the Championship, playing his football for Coventry City. At the time of writing, he is soon to enter the second leg of the play-off semi-final versus Micheal Carrick’s Middlesborough.
It is important to note that, should Coventry manage to make it through said play-offs and into the top-flight, they're unlikely to sell.
Nonetheless, the 24-year-old has scored 21 goals in 47 games this season and still has fixtures left to add to his tally. He also managed 17 goals in 45 in the previous campaign in a lesser Sky Blues team.
At 6”2, he is certainly a physical outlet but also boasts decent agility and guile for a big man. He is versatile in terms of the types of goal that he is capable of scoring.
He is right footed but is capable on his left – in games drifting out to the left to receive the ball and cutting inside dangerously.
He would be a smart coup for any bottom-half Premier League team, with Burnley and Wolves said to be particularly interested in him, and West Ham and Crystal Palace said to be keeping an eye on him.
He would be a solid addition to Everton’s attacking options. He is of a similar build to Calvert-Lewin and could play as part of a two-striker set-up next to him or alone in Dyche’s currently preferred 4-5-1 formation.
His current contract ends in the summer of 2024 and Coventry could be forced into a cheaper sale to stop themselves losing him on a free transfer next year.
Moussa Dembele
Moussa Dembele is an option worth looking at for Everton. The Frenchman hasn’t set the world alight for Lyon this season, but he has goals in him.
Since leaving Celtic in 2018, where he was consistently prolific in his scoring to join Lyon, the 26-year-old has experienced a very mixed bag in terms of success.
A couple of brilliant seasons there between 2018 and 2020, where he scored a total of 31 goals in 60 games led to him signing for Atletico Madrid on loan halfway through the 2020/21 season.
There, he would play just five games, going goalless and returning to his parent club at the end of the season.
On his return season, he managed an impressive return, bagging 21 goals in just 30 games. This season his scoring dropped off again, scoring just three in 23 – though most of these appearances came as a sub.
Looking back to data in the 2021/22 season, according to fbref.com Dembele was in the 96th percentile of forwards in the top five European leagues for npG (non-penalty goals) and npxG (non-penalty expected goals).
Notably, he also landed in the 93rd percentile for touches taken, demonstrating that he is comfortable with the ball at his feet and is happy being involved in build-up play.
He is out of contract this summer and is looking increasingly likely to leave Lyon on a free. However, he is believed to be earning currently around €3m per year and would likely be looking for around that salary wherever he opts to join.
El Bilal Toure
El Bilal Toure seems an interesting option that the Toffees could look at. The Malian striker currently plays his football at Almeria in the Spanish top flight.
Almeria are still in danger of relegation from La Liga which would significantly decrease his value, but even should they survive he should be available for a decent price.
The 21-year-old has been injured since March but recorded six goals and 2 assists in his first season in Spain.
Being so young, he still has plenty of space for growth and can be moulded into the sort of forward that Sean Dyche would thrive with.
He comes in at just above six foot tall, and his playing style has been compared to Ollie Watkins and Jamie Vardy.
He ranks in the 78th percentile for aerials won displaying his aerial ability even at such a young age. This season he also averaged 0.20 assists per game.
Playing as the focal point in a front-three, he is established in bringing teammates into play, who include exciting winger and former Manchester United Acadamy winger Largie Ramazani.
He is attracting the interest of Brentford and Wolves, so Everton would face tough competition. Should the Toffees show interest, Mali International team-mate Doucoure may want to put a good word in after his revelation under Sean Dyche.
Grejohn Kyei
Grejohn Kyei is a French striker enjoying a fruitful season at Clermont in Ligue 1. He is just one goal away from hitting double figures for the season, also recording three assists in the process.
He has scored six in his last seven appearances in a terrific run for Clermont who currently sit in eighth place. Last weekend he scored a brace against Lyon as they came from one nil down to win the game.
Kyei is 6”1 and is very explosive in his dribbling. He is direct and eager to be on the front foot – sitting in the 92nd percentile for successful take-ons this season, completing an average of 1.49 per game.
At 27 years old he will likely be entering his prime, and should he hit the ground running for Everton he has many years at the highest level ahead of him. He currently spearheads a 3-4-3 but is also known to be capable of playing as part of a two.
Should he want to try his hand in the Premier League, he may be an option worth looking at for Everton.
M'Bala Nzola
M’Bala Nzola is an Angolan International striker who has scored 13 goals in 28 games this season for Spezia.
Aged 26, he has many years ahead of him and may be worth a look at for Everton Football Club.
He has played as part of a two this season, as well as operating as a central striker in a front three.
He is the fifth top scorer in Seria A this season, having scored more goals than players like Kvicha Kvaratskhelia, Rafael Leao and Paulo Dybala – doing so for a Spezia team currently only narrowly avoiding the drop zone.
He is quick, latching onto through balls in behind defences and coolly slotting home the rare chances he receives. He may be perfectly suited to a counter-attacking Sean Dyche team.
He would likely be available for relatively cheap and could be worth a gamble for Everton.
Thijs Dallinga
Thijs Dallinga, is a Dutch striker born in 2000. Having scored 12 goals in 34 goals so far this campaign for Toulouse, he’s expected to earn a move.
Dallinga is still just 22 years old and has registered double figures in his first season since moving into a top-five league from his native Netherlands.
He is right footed, a brilliant finisher, he holds his own in aerial duels whilst being just 5’11 and boasts a brilliant first touch.
He has the knack for being in the right place at the right time, something which cannot be taught, and all top-level forwards have. He is also a very intelligent finisher, unlikely to blast the ball at the keeper but instead choosing the correct type of shot.
He is comfortable in tight areas and with his back to goal, not afraid to drop into midfield to receive the ball and drive an accurate long ball out wide.
For whatever reason, he is seemingly receiving little interest on the transfer front, and is surely worth a gamble on particularly given his age. Some club somewhere is going to pick up a gem this summer.