Everton suffered their first Premier League defeat since mid-September after Southampton scored a late winner on Saturday.
Sean Dyche’s men had shown plenty of progress in recent weeks, but they reverted to square one against the Saints.
While they have conceded 17 goals this term, it is the ability to score which has cost them dearly throughout the campaign.
Indeed, in ten matches, the Toffees have scored just ten goals. Only Southampton, Crystal Palace and Manchester United have found the back of the net on fewer occasions than Dyche’s men.
Everton’s top scorers this season
So far this season, only six players have scored for the Goodison Park side, with Dwight McNeil leading the way with four efforts across 12 matches. The former Burnley man has been one of Dyche’s key stars this term, also creating eight big chances while averaging 2.7 key passes per game in the top flight.
Iliman Ndiaye is next on the list with three goals, enjoying a superb start for the club after only joining in the summer.
Michael Keane, Beto and Dominic Calvert-Lewin have all scored twice for Everton this term, while Abdoulaye Doucoure rounds off the list by netting once.
The most surprising aspect of this list is the fact that Calvert-Lewin has scored so few goals, despite being Dyche’s main option to lead the line.
His performances have not been great this season. Is it time to move him on sooner rather than later?
Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s season in numbers
Truth be told, the £100k-per-week striker hasn’t been living up to this staggering wage for the last few seasons.
Two seasons ago, he managed just two Premier League goals, improving this to seven during the 2023/24 campaign, but these totals are why Everton find themselves languishing near the bottom of the table.
|
Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s Everton stats |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Season |
Games |
Goals |
Assists |
|
2023/24 |
38 |
8 |
3 |
|
2022/23 |
18 |
2 |
1 |
|
2021/22 |
18 |
5 |
2 |
|
2020/21 |
39 |
21 |
3 |
|
2019/20 |
41 |
15 |
1 |
|
2018/19 |
38 |
8 |
3 |
|
2017/18 |
44 |
8 |
5 |
|
2016/17 |
11 |
1 |
0 |
Indeed, the Englishman hasn’t scored more than ten goals since the 2020/21 season. Are his best days behind him?
He was even criticised by Jamie O’Hara following Everton’s defeat to Aston Villa in September where he missed an easy chance:
“It’s embarrassing. This is why he’s not gone to a top side. He’s one-on-one with the goalkeeper, has acres of space, and he doesn’t even get a shot away. It’s embarrassing.”
A tad harsh perhaps, but there is no questioning Calvert-Lewin is a shadow of his former self, scoring the same amount of goals as Keane this term.
When compared to positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues, the striker ranks in the bottom 5% for non-penalty goals per 90 (0.14) and outside the top 40% for total shots per 90 (2.78) over the previous 365 days.
This is yet more evidence of his diminishing qualities. The 27-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season, and it remains to be seen whether or not he signs an extension in the coming weeks.
Judging by his recent form, they could certainly free up a large chunk of the wage bill by either selling him in January or releasing him at the end of the season.
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