Arsenal linked again with move for Calvert-Lewin

I'll have to admit I've never been Calvert-Lewin's biggest fan but I hope this is bullshit because, make no mistake, he is one of the few who can grab us a goal and make a difference.

Richarlison has stunk the yard out this season. I've never seen him look so down and wonder: Does he enjoy playing under this manager?

Calvert Lewin can't be allowed to leave until the summer at least as I don't trust anyone at the club to replace him in January if he did move.

Mick, in fairness to Richarlison, he has worked his socks off from day one. That was okay in an upwardly mobile team with a rich owner that looked like it might be going places.

We're now very abruptly in worse shape as a squad than we have been since Moyes left. No trophies or glory on the horizon – for a player who knows from his time with Brazil that he's good enough to play Champions League.

He's just fallen out of love with playing for Everton. I think the same thing has happened to Digne – and it's not Benitez.

Unfortunately, his value is probably about as low as it has been since he turned up. Peaked at maybe £90M pre-Covid to maybe about £45M now.

As for Calvert-Lewin, I'd be surprised if he went to Arsenal but maybe Arteta sees him as a good focal point for more talented players like Saka and Martinelli.

You make a good point, Mick, about replacements. Same goes for Richarlison.

Let's say hypothetically the club decided to solve its FFP problems by selling both Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison in the next 6 months (unlikely as that is). Let's say that pulls in a net £120M, for argument's sake, and the club goes out to buy two £30M replacements.

If we were Leicester, Leipzig, Monaco et al, then I'd trust we could handle that and it would turn out just fine. But literally nobody on this site would trust our club to get that recruitment right and it would leave us in further mess.

Mick, I completely agree about not trusting the club to replace the likes of Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison. And there's Moshiri's problem. If he lets heads roll on the board and management team, as he should, how will he select their replacements?

Football has so many sharks and charlatans available for hire, he needs to choose wisely but will surely need assistance in the selection. Is he even working on this already or hoping a couple of wins is enough?

He's going to leave at some point, as will Richarlison. You watch – Dominic's England career will take off as soon as it happens.

We need to be putting in the legwork now to find the next Calvert-Lewin. Possibly two young strikers. And the next Richarlison.

Cast the net in the lower divisions, Belgium, the Netherlands etc – teams like Watford find talent right on the cusp of breaking through, for relatively low fees. If we go and sign more cast-offs or journeymen, then we deserve everything we get.

I think selling one of Calvert-Lewin or Richarlison is the only way to generate some funds to buy a right-back and another midfielder that can cover ground. If we let Benitez identify the transfer, we might be fine. He knows how to pick a bargain, it seems.

If Calvert-Lewin left for Arsenal, it would mean a whole new wardrobe, red and white accessories...

Selling our good players over the last 5 years has contributed to the absolute mess we are in!

I'd rather try to sell or offload 5/6 others than any of our decent players!

Keep Calvert-Lewin, Mina, Richarlison, Doucouré, Gray, Godfrey, Digne.

Everyone else is available!

James @ 5. It's always better if the replacement is already at the club before you sell. Unfortunately, we never seem to have that foresight.

This means our likely replacements for Calvert-Lewin might include the likes of Toney and Solanke. The latter in particular would feel underwhelming but is now scoring regularly.

These are not great players but, if I'm honest, neither is Calvert-Lewin. He's effective but certainly limited, too. Solanke was always the better footballer at youth level.

Players like Vlahovic and Isak would probably not come – possibly Belotti of Torino, who is out of contract in June, or Jovic who needs to revive his career away from Madrid.

Otherwise, we might end up with a few more untested players or players from weaker leagues.

I can't believe we would even consider selling any of our best players in January, it would be an act of madness. Even more so if those players are proven Premier League goalscorers – why would we do that? They must be still smoking the wacky baccy down there. Or Arsenal are atrying a bit of psychological interference before Monday?

It's clear for the rest of this season we need Richarlison on the left, Calvert-Lewin in the middle, and Gray on the right. To me, that front three wins games.

In January:

1) We need a goalscorer to back up Calvert-Lewin, Rondon did better but now injured and even so, he's not productive and won't deliver the goals we need from the central striker position.

2) We need a right back, I can't believe we're still saying this. Marcel Brands should hang his head in shame that this transfer business is still unresolved after 2 or 3 years.

3) Also if possible, I want to see Doucouré having more license to get forward. He's a threat from midfield, we have to exploit that resource as best we can. At the same time, the midfield has to be stronger to allow it.

I think we also need a Gana type midfielder to cover ground, work relentlessly to break up play, and feed the wide men. Allowing Doucouré to then be released from midfield, break forward and support the attack. A player to supplement Allan in that role.

I don't think any of our midfielders fit the bill. If we can offload any of Delph, Gomes, Gbamin and replace with this type of midfielder, I think it would make us stronger.

4) It's Christmas so one more present. Maybe impossible but try to move Iwobi on in a cheap deal or loan deal somewhere. It may be possible to get in Lingard to replace him without too high an expenditure as his contract is nearly up. Lingard will bring more goals and a better football brain. Also, a better quality player to have in the squad providing more options going forward.

Calvert-Lewin is the number two English striker and at prime development age, therefore bids in the range of £45-60 million simply won't cut it. I would reject this out of hand at the end of September, but Arsenal's stabilization and our descent has me worried.

Given the current contracts for Mina and Richarlison expire in 2023, they are still more likely to be sold next summer to maximise their return. Mina in particular is earning £120k a week and his injury history means it is debatable if he represents good value.

If Declan Rice and Grealish are worth £100 million, then so is Calvert-Lewin.

What's not to like? Iwobi plus £30m for Dominic, who does Usmanov support again?

He's the last player I'd be prepared to sell whilst we have got such a limited squad. He still misses too many, and also needs to learn how to just smash the fucking ball sometimes.

But big centre-forwards with a prodigious work rate and a good turn of pace, are very, very hard to come by, and can also pull limited teams out of the mire because of the overall attributes that they possess.

File it under bullshit and take a look at our next fixture.

I did say a couple of weeks ago with the upcoming fixtures, first the press will focus on disrupting us for the Derby, they did that a plenty.

Now they are are starting the Calvert-Lewin rumour, they do it every single time we get a run of fixtures against the top teams, before the City game it was the Pickford to Spurs.

Fair to say Arsenal are drifting just a little but still one of the media big boys so they bring up old news Calvert-Lewin to Arsenal, just as we are about to play them.

They have heard rumours of ffp so a very easy story to link Pickford and Calvert-Lewin away as nuterals will believe Everton will sell due to ffp.

Make no mistake we are well and truly in the shit, even when we played Norwich at times they knocked 5 or 6 passes about, had time on the ball, picked a team mate out and passed, we cannot seem to string more than two passes, no one wants the ball, as soon as they get it they panic and try a rushed pass, we play far too deep Pickford passing to a defender couple of passes later either back to Pickford or out of play.

We need to push up more, not panic when we have the ball, and players move into open spaces, we have the majority of players, just need a bit more composure and belief and simple passing.

I am not worried about this ridiculous story, just angry. Not only are Arsenal unable to fund this unless they offer players in exchange (another Walcott or Iwobi anyone?), they are no more likely to challenge for a top four place than we are at present.
The same applies to the recent story about Spurs wanting to sign Pickford, mere rubbish pedalled by the London sports media.

Agree- there’s nowt in this, there are just too many outlets these day for poor, lazy sports journalists to peddle their uninformed tripe. All that said, we don’t yet know if we are getting back the dynamic DCL of last season, or maybe 70 per cent due to his physical recovery. The back up signing I would like to have seen is Kiefer Moore at Cardiff (and now Wales) he is a big bruiser who can both score goals and hold the ball up, which neither Rondon nor Tosun seem capable of. He is also the right age.
Meanwhile, if Everton FC are indeed forced to sell one or more of our saleable assets, it needs to be clear if it is the manager or Mr Brands who are bother identifying and trying to acquire these players. The present set up appears to allow Brands to step in and out of decision making on recruitment. It would appear that Gray, Townsend and the back up keepers are at Rafa’s behest, but I may be wrong.

I'd rather both Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison stayed for another year but, if we were to sell either, I'd probably let Richarlison go first.

We have no back-up whatsoever for Calvert-Lewin, and he's literally central to Rafa's tactics. Whereas Richarlison, great though he is, hasn't looked as dangerous as Demarai Gray this season. We'd probably miss his tracking back as much as anything but, if we spent a few bob on a decent midfield, that might not be so much of an issue.

So, £70M for Richarlison, and maybe another £15M for Iwobi, £12M for Holgate, £10M for Gomes, 20p for Tosun, and a sausage roll for Rondon and we're good for a splurge on the transfer market.

Re Iwobi surely that's £15M we have to pay another club to take him.

Michael @18, unfortunately (apart from Tosun), I think you are massively over-valuing our players.

Richarlison would probably be sold now for about £50M.

The deadwood is more likely to go on loan than generate a fee – unless we release for sub £10M or less.

Calvert-Lewin is probably worth between £60M and £80M. This is because of:

- Covid depressing the market

- Our likely need to sell in order to generate funds for a rebuild

- The very limited number of likely buyers.

Villa got a big fee for Grealish because they didn't need to sell. The same would be true of Rice. I'm not convinced we're in such a privileged position.

The media are having a field day trying to destroy Everton with their crazy click and bait bullshit.

We need to close ranks, make a statement that no players are for sale except those we want rid of (already stated by Rafa) and get behind the club and the manager to see this disastrous season out.

Michael, Surely Man City will pay more than £12 million for Holgate?

Arsenal, and Barcelona, are linked to dozens of different players every single day!! They must both be two of the richest teams on the planet.

The Scotland striker, Lyndon Dykes, is my wife's second cuzzie, so I just Googled his highlights. Seems pretty Calvert-Lewinesque...

Moved from Queen of the South to QPR last season. Scottish mates are raving about him. Think he's the missing link they've needed.

Point being, with FFP restrictions as they are and with the real possibility that some of our better players have to be as disillusioned as we are, surely there are affordable alternatives who'd do a better job than Rondon?

DCL has four years left on his contract and arse messed us about with signing one of their equals premium price if he wants to go.

Sadly this isn't unrealistic. So should we just accept it, move forward, ask for £100M and do a deal.

At some stage our best player's will be sold because that's football.

The pecking order places managers and coaches below player's, owners and agents.

Player's want to play, win, improve and be successful.
Agents want money, transfer fees and new big contracts are more lucrative.
Clubs want committed player's to give their all.
At some point the incentive to sell or move is to good to turn down.

Hopefully we recruit before we sell. Maybe the summer is more realistic due to his current injury and our own issues.

The team needs overhauling. That will involve selling some of the 'stars'.

Keifer Moore Wales and Cardiff. Tall good in the air, cheap and lots of championship experience for next year!!!! Grrrrrr

Team needs goals. He is one of only 2-3 players likely to get them. He’s going nowhere. Not unless it’s Lukaku type money.

Missed a big chance to move Digne on last summer, and allow Nkounkou and Small a path. Could maybe lose Richie if the money was right, but even that would be suicide in January.

Keiffer Moore only as a back up for DCL.If we seriously were going to go down the flanks whip it in with wingers.
DCL gets injured, Oooops the winger whipping it in to our Brazilian 9, 2.0 to Firmino.

If we are going with a 9 DCL, gotta have a mark 2.But apparently we got one in Simms.?
Rafa wont play him, we got that bag of old crap thats cost us 9 points with 6x90 mins getting fit.Then rips his hamstring.
Way things are looking Champiinship and guarenteed, all our squad stars got a get out clause.I don't have to play in championship if we go down.Its the way it is now.

5 months, 23 games after tonight.

Do we believe in Rafa to sort it out.

Well if he loses 4/5of the next 6 getting to his Solution.Sell DCL,Pickford, Digne wants out from what I hear.Mina, going to.
Might as well get rid of Ritchy and build the championship side.
Practice in the Premier League Rafa.

Its a bloody mess, Rafa mess.

Dont let him anywhere transfers in Jan.Hell sell all the quality we got.

But support tonight, try get 3 points.

15 points out the next 18🤣🤣🤣

Rafa sacked at Chelsea, irony.👍Its not personal its football, he will expect the sack with this run if he loses next 3.

Solutions on a post card to Mr Moshiri and Kenwright.

I wonder what people feel now with the power of hindsight, about if we should have sold Richie when apparently Barcelona were offering silly money. Easy to say now but I think that was opportunity missed.

Surely, we have potential replacements ready if only Rafa would give game time to both Simms and Dobbin. The only way to find out if they are good enough to step up is to play them. Simms is now 20, big lad and scores goals – give him a chance!

Bit late to this one…

I got told a couple of months ago that Calvert-Lewin was going to Arsenal in January and wouldn't play for Everton again.

I've since been told there's an £80m deal in place and one of the conditions is that he doesn't turn out for us again in case he gets injured.

Hopefully a load of rubbish….

I thought Simms looked a good prospect. He can hold up the ball with good strength and distribution with either foot. He has the height for crosses and is better than Calvert-Lewin on the ground.

In his role in the first half against Chelsea, we did not see what he could do in box, but he did look a intelligent player and did his job well. I suspect he would be the same in the box for positioning for headers and has a shot.

One essential is he works as hard as Calvert-Lewin on his training, which enabled Calvert-Lewin to see off Tosun, Naisse and Kean.

Rondon was only ever brought in as back-up. He did put in a great performance in the Merseyside derby.

Arsenal, like Barcelona, are constantly linked to every Tom, Dick and Harry each transfer window in the rags. Reading the BBC gossip page, or NewsNow, is hilarious eg Messi dreams of playing for Burnley or, Derby prepare shock bid for Harry Kane etc… Pathetic and groundless.

Neither Arsenal, or Barcelona for that matter, have the money to splash the cash in January. The only gossip I want to see is, Everton accept £10 for Iwobi from non-league side, Support The Blind FC.

A full-scale revolution has been needed at this club for years and, with managers lucky to get 2 years in the job, the idea a successful team can be built by cobbling together a few buys bolted to the dregs of previous regimes is patent nonsense.

Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison and the entire crew need shipping out pronto so the manager (whoever he is) can immediately create a team in his own image. Clough and Shankly did it as did Tommy Docherty did at Man Utd after Best, Law and Charlton.

With your own hand-picked crew, motivation is one thing you don't have to worry about and that is something this club hasn't had for aeons.

Bin them all, Beni and start again – before they bin you.

Barry (36) - But chicken and egg though, isn't it?

Aren't we in the situation we're in because a succession of managers were given licence to bring in “their” players, only for them not to improve the squad to any real extent?

And then the atmosphere changes, the club continues to struggle and then the managerial merry-go-round continues. Rinse and repeat.

Andrew 37

That is exactly the point no one at the club seems capable of grasping the present "plan" is a self fulfilling prophesy of failure a merry go round of idiocy.

The clearest example of immediate revolution working was the Martinez first season as Del boy, Rom, Mcarthy and Barry augmented the promotion of Oviedo, Stones and Barkley giving almost a new first team. Their impact had not been seen here since Howie Mk1.

The rest of the Moyes crew needed replacing pronto but the monies went on Rom leaving bobby scraping around the McCready bin. The Moyes boys retook control and all we heard was "we don't practice corners" - had they forgot or something?. 'Kin idiots

Just hoping Benitez has seen the light and is gearing up to press the "restart button"