Everton 2023-24 Season Review: Strikers Report Cards

06/29/2024 05:00 AM

Another season, another bad batch of numbers from the Everton number nines - Calvert-Lewin, Beto

We continue our review of the past Everton season with a look at a position group that fell flat on their faces once again this campaign, the strikers.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin

Appearances - 32, Goals - 7, Assists - 2, Yellow Cards - 2, Red Cards - 0, PL xG+xA/90 - .67

It is a long-spoken belief amongst Everton supporters that the goals will start coming for the side "when Dominic Calvert-Lewin is healthy once again." Supporters did see the truth of the idea finally emerge towards the end of this 2023-24 campaign, but the Sheffield-born number nine made Toffees really wait on it.

There was, at one point, a 23-game drought that the number nine was struggling through. With just a handful of goals from the likes of Beto behind him across the whole season, the pressure could be seen to be taking a toll on DCL as it continued to mount; likewise, the relief from his draw-winning goal against Newcastle in early April was palpable.

The Premier League campaign of Dominic Calvert-Lewin was not a bad one, and he was able to score with more regularity after ending that 23-game goalless run; yet for a player of his quality and ability, turning in just seven goals and two assists across 32 appearances is simply not good enough.

While the Toffees defense was really class last season, allowing just 51 - the fourth-best across the division - the team was able to generate only 40 goals. Granted, that means that DCL accounted for between one-eighth and one-quarter of the Premier League goals for the Blues this past campaign, but his goal tally could and should have been much higher across a year that saw some real sitters being missed.

With rumors about that Dominic Calvert-Lewin could be leaving as other names arrive and are whispered regarding, it is uncertain whether Everton will get to see the player that once shone so brightly under Don Carlo Ancelotti, or beneath the lights on a very special Goodison Park evening against Crystal Palace again.

This author is of the consideration that DCL will probably have a better season this coming year than he has in several years, regardless of where he plays. He was able to play well at the end of this last year, has had no injuries in the time since, and might finally be able to string together some healthy time on the pitch across campaigns; should he remain on Merseyside, supporters and the team alike will surely be glad to have him back as well.

Grade: C+

Beto

Appearances - 30, Goals - 3, Assists - 0, Yellow Cards - 2, Red Cards - 0, PL xG+xA/90 - .84

Beto, signed by Everton last summer from Udinese in Serie A, appeared precisely the type of number nine Sean Dyche would wish to rotate with the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin. And, with the absences that Calvert-Lewin had experienced across recent years, one properly might have assumed that the new man would have lots of opportunities to make his mark with goals and big moments.

Big moments - opportunities - were not terribly hard to come by for either Everton as a collective or for Beto, in particular, this season, yet converting these chances was difficult for both the group and the player. As noted previously, 40 goals across an entire 38-match Premier League season is simply not going to cut it for most sides in a top-flight division, just as three goals across 30 matches isn't going to hit the mark for most Premier League number nines.

While it would be lovely to be able to give each of the three players on this list another opportunity to prove themselves in an Everton shirt, it is not possible. And, out of all three, despite his raw, physical ability and characteristics, the 26-year-old might be the man that supporters would be least concerned about losing - especially with the incoming Illman Ndiaye.

Luckily, Beto has been rumored in connection with Fenerbahce of Turkiye's Super Lig; should this or some similar signing be ultimately executed, it will be the end to the player's Toffee career after only a single season.

Grade: D

Youssef Chermiti

Appearances - 18 , Goals - 0 , Assists - 0 , Yellow Cards - 3, Red Cards - 0, PL xG+xA/90 - .58

Youssef Chermiti is maybe the most interesting player on this list, namely because he wasn't asked to contribute very much for the first team this 2023-24 seasons - and he did not disappoint. The young man - just 20 years old - purchased from Sporting CP last summer alongside Beto of Udinese showed later in the year the advantages he might be able to provide Everton with in the future.

Chermitti's ability to link up and pass, alongside his technical ball skills, was different from what either DCL or Beto offered, and so the side looks different with him playing at the top of the 4-4-1-1. His age is also a benefit for the player and the club, as he has room to grow and really impact the side; perhaps this will be witnessed further in even this upcoming season.

While the former number nines were graded upon expectation of production vs. the reality of the production, this latter grade reflects, of course, the barren first-team stat line of Youssef Chermitti, but also his obvious talent and still-untapped potential. Expect the player to stay, or perhaps go out on loan for more first-team experience if he cannot find it under Sean Dyche quite yet.

Grade: C

Future

The future, as noted at the ends of each of the player analyses, is certainly up in the air as it concerns the centre-forward position at Everton Football Club. With Illiman Ndiaye coming back to English football from Marseille, Beto rumored to be leaving for nations to the east, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin getting mentioned in connection to various different clubs across England and Europe, anything appears possible for a striking unit that scored only 10 goals, while managing just two assists in the Premier League between them.

While it has been said for many years by most anyone watching Everton - oftentimes by this author - it must again be stated. The Toffees need steady options up front to score the ball when opportunities present themselves; many matches that were lost or drawn by Everton had moments where good, in rhythm, and confident goal-scorers would've tucked the ball in the back of the net, while those of the Blues this campaign were more often than not, left unconverted.

That will have to change this upcoming term. Everton will likely have another sturdy, well-drilled defense, coached up by Sean Dyche once more, and those players - whoever they end up being - will expect a more competent offensive showing from this side to back them.

The supporters, too, will be anxious to end this run of years playing with the fire of relegation battles. It certainly wears upon the club, the players, the coaches, and the supporters, and with Dan Friedkin in exclusive talks to purchase Everton from Farhad Moshiri, the Blues could use a fresh era on the pitch as well.

The fans will want to see goals across these new eras, and strikers who can finish scenarios competently when the rest of the team does their singular and collective work. Who will end up in Everton's 2024-25 striker room? Only time will tell, of course.